


Gregor and the Prophecy of Claw

by JoshGamerV



Series: Scratchblood-Trilogy [1]
Category: The Underland Chronicles - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 73,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24734830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoshGamerV/pseuds/JoshGamerV
Summary: It's been four months since Gregor left the Underland, but a message arrives, calling for his return. There's trouble again, and the Underland needs their warrior.
Relationships: Gregor Campbell/Luxa
Series: Scratchblood-Trilogy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1788541
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Pies and Flashbacks

**Author's Note:**

> The first 5 chapters of this aren’t very good, just gonna say that. Don’t worry, my writing’s improved a whole lot in the later chapters.
> 
> Disclaimer: No, I don’t own anything from the original Underland Chronicles.

Gregor stuffed the slice of bread in his mouth. His family was eating breakfast. In their old apartment. They hadn't moved to Virginia.

Gregor remembered the day he found out they couldn't move. He was so happy. That day, the phone rang. His mom took it. "Hello, it's Grace." She said. The person at the other end of the phone answered.

His mom spoke some words before turning her head to the living room.

"Clark!" She yelled.

Gregor's dad came stumbling into the room with a blanket wrapped around him.

"What?" He asked.

"It's Joseph," his mom retorted.

"Kids, go visit Mrs. Cormaci. I'm sure you can help her with something," She told Gregor and his sisters.

So Gregor put on his shoes and waited for his sisters to put on theirs. Together they walked to Mrs. Cormaci's apartment. Right before they closed the door, Gregor could have sworn he saw a little crawler, no cockroach, sitting on the top doorframe, watching him.

When they arrived at Mrs. Cormaci's apartment after a few minutes, Boots put a hand on her stomach. "I'm hungry, Gregor."

The phone call had been just before breakfast, so none of them had gotten any food.

"Hopefully Mrs. Cormaci have some food." Gregor thought.

"Do you want to ring the doorbell, Boots?" Lizzie asked, interrupting Gregor's thoughts.

"You don't even need to ask her, Liz." Gregor grinned, as Boots exited, stretched herself to her full length to reach the doorbell. As she reached it with her fingertips, Boots pushed the Button to the doorbell.

They could hear Mrs. Cormaci hurrying to the door. She opened the door, smiling as she saw Gregor and his sisters. "Hello, Gregor, Lizzie, Boots." She said, before rushing to the kitchen while gesturing for them to follow.

They took off their shoes before entering the kitchen. A pot of oatmeal was boiling on the stove.

"Sit," Mrs. Cormaci said, gesturing at the table. Gregor took a chair and sat down. Mrs. Cormaci took the pot off the stove and sat in on a trivet on the table. She sat a bowl in front of each of them and gave them a large portion each and handed them some spoons from a cupboard.

"Can we have waisins?" Boots asked.

"Yes, Boots," Mrs. Cormaci answered as she walked to the other side of the kitchen in search of some raisins. She came back with a big jar and put it on the table. "There you have them," She said. Gregor opened the jar and poured some raisins in his oatmeal before handing it over to Boots. She flipped the whole jar upside down and poured a third of it onto her oatmeal before Mrs. Cormaci stopped her. "There need to be some left next time, Boots. What if we ran out of raisins?" She said. "No more raisins?" Boots asked. "Yes, no more raisins," Mrs. Cormaci answered kindly. Boots put the jar back on the table.

Gregor stuffed himself with oatmeal.

After they were done eating, Mrs. Cormaci cleared the table and set Gregor and Lizzie to chop vegetables for a pie because "while they were here they could help her with the pie, since she couldn't do it alone", Though Gregor was almost sure that wasn't the reason. Mrs. Cormaci probably just didn't want them to leave.

Armed with a kitchen Knife, he started chopping the vegetables. There were broccoli, green Bell pepper, and onions that made his eyes water, so He needed to take a break. While he and Lizzie chopped the vegetables, Boots helped Mrs. Cormaci Make the pie dough and constantly squealed, "Me!". Mrs. Cormaci sighed, but let her do what she wanted.

"Boots is making a lot of trouble with the dough, huh?" Gregor grinned at Lizzie, as Boots were standing on her tiptoes on top of the kitchen counter, trying to get the flour from the cupboard. Lizzie smiled, but her smile turned into an anxious expression as Boots got overbalance and tripped. As in slow-motion her little body fell, and Gregor felt his rager senses kicking in. Lightning-fast he jumped forward and Dived through the air, wrapped his arms around Boots, and crashed into the ground, shielding Boots from the worst. There He just laid out of breath, clutching Boots little body tightly.

What would have happened if He hadn't caught her? Images of Boots lying unconscious on the ground with her head in a small pool of blood suddenly flooded his mind. Then the memories of When He'd thought he had lost Boots in the Tankard, and the Earthquake in the Swag. "Oh, Boots..." He whispered trembling. He felt a hand on his back. "Gregor? Are you all right?" Lizzie asked carefully. He nodded with even though He wasn't. Boots squeezed out of his tight grip and sat on the ground, pushing him lightly for a reaction every once in a while. After what seemed like hours, Gregor finally sat up and looked at the worried faces looking at him. "I'm so sorry," Mrs. Cormaci said shamefully, "I shouldn't have let her stand on the counter.".

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault; she could easily have tripped anywhere. She's only four." said Lizzie, panting. She didn't have panic attacks so often anymore, but Gregor could hear that she was just on the edge of one right now. "Hey, Liz, what's thirteen cubed?" He asked her to get her to Calm Down. "2197!" She answered, her face brightening.

"24?"

"13824!" Lizzie seemed calmed down now. Gregor felt pretty calmed himself, too. "Soooo, that pie? Shouldn't we get it finished?" He asked them all. At his question, they all suddenly started laughing. They returned to the pie, but this time, they did everything together, and Gregor made sure to keep an extra Eye on Boots. As a four-year-old, she had turned very daring. You needed to keep an eye on her.

"Flour! Flour!" Boots squealed as Mrs. Cormaci picked her up so she could take the flour down from the cupboard. She opened the cupboard and grabbed hold of the flour, singing, "I have the flour, I have the flour!", and poured over half of the bag in the dough. "Whoa Boots, I think that's enough," Gregor said, stopping Boots' arm. "Put it back in the cupboard,".

Boots raised her arm to put the now half-empty bag of flour back in the cupboard, but it slid out of her grip and fell to the ground, covering Them all in flour. Gregor laughed. "Silly Boots." He laughed. He grabbed a kitchen cloth and cleared up the mess Boots had made.

But, despite Boots' accident with the flour, they got the pie finished.

Mrs. Cormaci put the pie in the oven.

. They sat down on the Couch in the Living room to wait. Mrs. Cormaci found an old wooden toy car that had been her son's. "James used to love this," she said, gesturing at the toy car. "Boots, you can have this toy car," She said, handing Boots the wooden toy. Boots swiftly took the toy car out of Mrs. Cormaci's hand and put it on the ground. Her hand dived into her pocket and took out a small stone.

Gregor smiled. Boots stored plenty of stuff in her pockets. "Me," said Boots, pointing at her stone. "Temp." She pointed at the toy car. "Boots ride Temp." She played the stone on the car. Then she looked at Gregor. "Can we go see Temp?" She asked. "No, Boots," he replied. Her eyes became full of longing. Right as he was to open his mouth, the doorbell rang. "I'll open," He said, before anyone else offered to do so. He rushed to the door and opened it.

"Hello, Gregor.".

The voice of his mom got him to jump in surprise.

"Uh, hi mom," He said. He heard footsteps behind him.

"Hi, Grace. Hi Clark." Mrs. Cormaci greeted his parents, "We've made a pie, I assume you will stay to eat?"

"Oh, yes please, we haven't even eaten breakfast yet," Gregor's dad responded, "I'm Starving,".

"Then come eat with us!" Mrs. Cormaci said and walked to the kitchen. Gregor and his parents followed.

In the kitchen, Boots and Lizzie were setting the table with neat cutlery ans magnificent plates; Mrs. Cormaci must've asked them to do so while she greeted their parents. Mrs. Cormaci put on these gloves - What were they called? - that you used when you took something hot out of the oven. She opened the oven and took the freshly baked pie out. She sat it on a trivet on the table and took a special Knife from a kitchen drawer. "My special pie knife," she said, holding out the knife. She cut a piece for everyone, but Boots wanted to do it herself. "I'm a big girl. Big like Beeg bug." She said with a serious expression. Gregor couldn't help but laugh as Boots attempted to cut a piece of pie. She ended up Only eating the dough, Because all the vegetables fell out When she cut her piece.

Gregor stuffed himself with the tasty pie, till He couldn't get a single bite more down.

"This pie tastes good," His mom said. "Does it have a special name?"

"Acksident pie!" Boots squealed.

"Accident pie?" Their mom asked with a suspicious expression.

"Boo..." Gregor began, ready to tell the truth, even though their mom would freak out when Lizzie kicked his leg. "Boots dropped the flour," He corrected himself. Well, that was true. "And we got covered in flour," Lizzie continued. "Yeah, That's right," Mrs. Cormaci finished their sentence. It looked like their mom believed them.

"Kids," Gregor's mom said after they had finished eating, "We're not moving to Virginia,".

"What?!" Gregor screamed in his head. "Did she legit say that?"

His thoughts got interrupted as Lizzie kicked his leg again.

"Listen," she hissed, irritated gesturing at their mom.

"Uhh, Why are we not moving to Virginia?" Gregor asked.

"Because..." Their mom said expectantly, "Aunt Martha has just given birth!"

Whoa! Gregor had completely forgotten that Aunt Martha was pregnant. With twins.

"Uhh, what are they named?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Well, they named the First twin Garrick after Martha's deceased brother... and the other..." His dad paused, "We get to name him! Do you have some ideas, youngsters?"

"Temp! Le's Call him Temp!" Boots squealed.

"Uhh, Boots, I don't think that is an... appropriate name for a... human child," Lizzie said uneasy. "Gregor, do you have an idea?"

"Let me think," He said.

Hmm. "What would be a good name?" He asked himself. It required to be a name with some significance for his uncle and aunt. The other twin had the name Garrick after his aunt's brother who passed a few years ago. His other cousins, Rodney and Matthias, had been named after two of his uncle's friends, who was in a car accident. Only Rodney survived but became paralyzed permanently in the entire right side of his body. Somewhat like what happened to Vikus.

So his Uncle and Aunt named their First and second child after Rodney and Matthias.

Therefore, the name of the second twin must also be significant for his uncle and aunt.

"Howard." He spoke. "We'll name him Howard,".

His mom frowned, but before she could say anything, his dad spoke up.

"Grace, Howard treated you when you had the plague. And the name goes perfect with Garrick." He said, brushing his white hair away from his forehead.

"I guess that's right." His mom said with a tense voice. "I will tell Joe...in the morning," She yawned.

"No, I'll do it," His dad offered, "Joe is, after all, my brother,"

"Ok," His mom yawned again. "Let's go home, kids."

She got up from her chair. The rest of the family followed.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Cormaci," Gregor called as He closed the door.

He heard a distant goodbye from the apartment.

"GREGOR! ARE. YOU. GOING. TO. EAT. THAT. SLICE. OF. BREAD?"

Lizzie's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Uhh-uh Yeaaah." He said disoriented. He hustled wolfed the slice down. He'd been so preoccupied with his thoughts he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings.

The doorbell rang.

"I'll open," Gregor said. He rushed to the door and opened it. Outside standing was Larry. "Hi Gregor, Wanna come over hanging out with me and Angelina?" He asked. "Yeah!" Gregor replied and put on his boots.

"Mom, I'm going with Larry!" He shouted as He closed the door. They walked through the snow. Larry took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the apartment door when they arrived there. "Angelina is coming in ten minutes." He said as he hung his coat on the coat rack. Gregor pulled his boots off and sat them on the shoe rack.

In the Living room, Larry was sitting with a stack of paper and a few pencils in front of him. "I want to show you something." He said. He showed Gregor a sketch of a black bat. Ares. He could sense tears welling up in his eyes and Rolling Down his cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry!" Larry burst out. "I just wanted to show you my sketch."

"It's okay..." Gregor said Shaky, "I should've explained it be-better."

When He had returned from the Underland, Larry and Angelina had asked why He hadn't been to school. He'd decided to tell them the true story instead of some Lame made up one. First, they hadn't believed him. First When He showed Them his scars, they'd chosen to believe him.

"Hi!"

Gregor turned. Angelina was standing behind him. He hadn't heard the doorbell.

"Are you okay, Gregor?" She asked concerned.

Gregor tried to tell her He was fine but wasn't able to make a sound. It seemed as if He was sucked into some sort of portal that led to a universe full of all the awful things that happened to him. A universe full of bad memories. And especially, that memory. He saw it all again. Ares spinning. The Bane digging his claws into Ares' wings, pulling Them closer. Gregor's sword piercing the rat's heart as it sank its teeth into Ares's neck. The moment Were they just hung there, connected by teeth and sword and claws. The Bane lifting its Paw and ramming it into Gregor's chest. Flying through the air and getting slammed onto the stone floor. The Bane laying on the ground. Gregor crawling to Ares and pressing his face into the bat's blood-soaked chest. Ares? Ares? Don't go, Ares, okay? Don't. Grasping Ares' Claw. The blood seeping out of his chest and mingling with Ares' and The Bane's.

Gregor collapsed onto the ground.

"Gregor? Gregor, are you okay?"

Black spots were dancing for his eyes. He could see Larry and Angelina worried faces staring from above him.

"I...think I should go home now," Gregor said, struggling to sound offhand. He got up and put on his boots and coat.

"Wait, Gregor," Larry said as he was about to leave. "What happened?"

"I...can't explain... I just...Saw the entire thing again..." Gregor whispered shaky. He was feeling uneasy.

"What did you see?" Angelina asked concerned.

"The Battle...where Ares died," Gregor whispered.

"Your...Bond?"

"Yes him. And do you mind if I LEAVE NOW?!" Gregor shouted angrily.

He slammed the door shut and stumbled down the stairs. He could hear Larry shout, but shut it out and every other noise.

As soon as he reached the street, he began running at a rapid speed. He sprinted around corners. Down alleyways didn't mind looking where He ran. Down the street into the courtyard. He approached the Grey apartment building with a very great speed. He wasn't able to stop in time and slammed his face into the Wall. Smack!

The pain immediately washed over him. His body sank to the ground. His hand went to his forehead, examining the wet flesh. He slowly got to his legs, pulled out the key from his pocket, and unlocked the glass door. With slow steps, he started to climb the stairs. His head wound was thumping and leaving a trail of blood on the stairs. It wasn't anything fatal. He'd had worse wounds. Much worse wounds. But he wasn't used to getting wounded anymore. He pressed his hand on the wound to stop the blood from flowing down and clouding his vision.

As soon as he reached his apartment, he stuck the key in the lock and unlocked it. He opened the door, prepared for his mom's reaction. "I'm hourggdmm," The blood started seeping between his fingers and running down his face. He coughed and stepped into the apartment. His mom came dashing from the Livingroom.

"Gregor! What happened?" She exclaimed alarmed at the sight of the blood seeping out of his wound.

"I raun intouu a waurl." He said with blood in his mouth, "Cwan wee Gou to te houuspitailm.,"

"Yes," his mom answered anxious. "We'll be back in some hours," She yelled at her husband.

She put on her boots and a warm coat, and they left for the hospital.

When they arrived at the hospital, his mom talked with a woman in the reception who glanced at Gregor's wound and gestured for them to follow. She led Them to a door labeled 'Dr. Ling'. She knickers on the door. A Chinese looking woman opened. "Come in," She said. Gregor and his mom walked into the room.

"I am Dr. Ling but you Can Call me Tai. Lay on the bed," She said. Gregor obeyed and laid down on the bed.

Tai took a needle and some thread from the table. "I will stitch up your wound.".

The next minutes were rather painful. It felt like hours when Tai finally said the Magic words. "We're done. Come back in a week.". Gregor noticed that his sleeve had been slid a bit up, just enough to reveal a scar. He hustled to slide it down again, but as He said 'thanks' and closed the door behind him, He could've sworn Tai had mouthed 'overlander'.

When they arrived home again, Lizzie and Boots came running to the door. "Gregor, what happened?" Lizzie exclaimed, seeing his stitched-up wound. "I ran into a wall..." Gregor said. "How?" asked his father, who came stumbling from the living room. "Larry showed me a drawing of...Ares. And i...had a flashback... I saw the fight with the Bane again. I watched it all again. I relived it all again. And then I just...collapsed onto the floor..." Tears started rolling down his face. "Then I woke up...and I Got mad...So I ran away...and slammed my face into the wall." He finished.

"Oh, Gregor," His mom said.

Gregor spent the rest of the day watching Lizzie flipping through her old puzzle book. She gradually had made most of the puzzles. Boots were playing with the toy car Mrs. Cormaci had given her, and her plastic poison arrow frogs. Even Boots hadn't forgotten the Underland. Not yet, and Gregor didn't Think she ever would. He'd thought that at first, but with all the roaches in the city, it didn't seem possible since Boots could speak crawler. She was Maybe the only one who could keep in contact with Their friends Down Their. She'd said something about 'Temp says there is something bad'.

Gregor hoped it was just something she'd said and not something Temp had told her. Speaking of Temp, a roach suddenly appeared on Boots's hand. Boots became focused on the little creature and started clicking. She turned to Gregor. "Temp says you come now," She said with a serious expression. "Temp says go to entrance 'Morrow.".

"Oh, no," He thought.

His mom Came into the room. "Can we go sledding in Cental Park 'morrow?" Boots exclaimed, "I Wanna sled!

"Okay..." Their mom surprisingly agreed. "But you need to stay with me and your dad. Also you," She pointed at Lizzie and Gregor. They nodded. Their mom walked out again.

"Whoa, Thanks Boots." Gregor said. But He was worried about tomorrow.

What was happening down there?


	2. Return

Knock knock. Gregor woke at the noise of a loud knocking on his door. Knock knock!.

"I'm coming..." He yelled sleepy. Struggling, he put one hand on the wooden part of his bed, raised himself, and opened his drawer as much as He could. He pulled out some simple clothes. A long-sleeve shirt and a pair of blue pants. He put them on as well as some socks and climbed out of his bed, remembering to open his new door. His mom had gotten one for his room when they returned from the Underland.

The Underland.

Something was happening down there. And if what Boots had said was true, it was something bad.

In the kitchen, his mom was pulling a tray of drop biscuits out of the oven. "Good morning, Gregor." She yawned.

She sat the tray on the table. Gregor grabbed four biscuits from the tray, two for himself and two for Boots. He broke open her biscuits and handed her the Grape jelly, knowing that she would want to put it on herself. He broke his own drop biscuits open and glanced over at Boots, who's biscuits appeared to have turned into a mess of Purple goo. "Go wash your hands when you're done." He grinned.

After they had eaten, Gregor put on his warm winter coat. He was about to pull on his boots when he noticed that Lizzie's boots were missing. "Boots!" He yelled. "Where are Lizzie's boots?" He searched around the room. A trail of Purple jelly caught his attention. Someone giggled from under a pile of outerwear. He ripped the clothes off the top of the pile and Boots' curly little head popped into view. She hopped onto Gregor who landed on his back. "Get off Boots, You're too big." He said and nuzzled her off his stomach.

A few minutes later they were all dressed and ready to go. His mom locked the door behind them.

They rode the subway to Central Park.

The city looked beautiful covered in snow though Gregor could not really look at it in the same way.

Rat of long forgotten snow

At the time they reached Central Park, Boots ripped the duct tape mended plastic saucer out of Their dad's hands and ran ahead of them. "Sled! Sled! Sled!" She said in a singsong voice.

Gregor ran as fast as He could through the snow. "Come here Boots," He yelled. He jumped and smacked his arms together, as to catch her like they did in Cartoons. He fell headfirst into the freezing snow. A hand pulled him up.

"Don't let her run too far!" His mom said, pretending to Sound strict though Gregor could hear the satisfaction in her voice.

Boots were standing at the bottom of the great sledding Hill. "Sled! Sled! Sled!" She squealed repeatedly.

Gregor took her and Lizzie by the hand and they walked up the Hill leaving their parents at the bottom. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them." He yelled reassuring.

There was just enough space for them all on the plastic saucer. Gregor pushed with his legs to gain extra speed and they slid Down the Hill. Both Lizzie and Boots squealed in joy. Gregor smiled. Seeing them this happy warmed his heart.

At the time they slid down the Hill for the umpteenth time, Gregor's muscles were aching.

His mom seemed to notice it. "We'll take over." She said Aware of his exhaustion. She picked up the saucer and started climbing the Hill, his dad following.

The light was starting to fade. He trotted back and forth and questioned himself the questions on his mind.

Did Boots speak the Truth? Had what she'd said actually been true? Would an escort from the Underland show up and drag him down there again with his mom screaming at Them?

He didn't know the answers. How should He?

He caught himself drifting to the big slab of rock where he'd come up in October. The slab that closed of a big part of his life. He wanted so badly to go back but his mom would never allow it.

That was when He heard it. A low hissing seemingly coming from somewhere near.

"Waaaariiioor."

No, he was hearing things.

"Waaaaariiiiiooooor!" This time much louder. Gregor turned to the voice and found himself staring into the scaly iridescent blue-green face of a giant Underland lizard.

For a few moments, Gregor just gawked at the lizard. "Frill!" He burst out before He could stop himself. He just couldn't help it even though He knew this lizard was not Frill. Frill was dead, killed by the cutters.

"Iiiii aaaam Noooot Friiil, waaariioor. Friiil waaas myyy siiisteer." The lizard said. Gregor was about to open his mouth when he heard footsteps dashing his way.

"What is that thing doing here?!" His mom screamed. "You are not going down there again!".

"Grace Calm Down." His dad attempted to calm his mom.

Gregor turned to the lizard. "So, what is a liz...hisser like you doing up here?" He asked it.

"Theeeeereeee iiiiis aaaaa neeeew prooooopcheeecyyy." Said the lizard.

The words hit him like a cannonball.

"A new prophecy? A NEW PROPHECY?! IM SICK OF SANDWICH'S PROCHECYS!" Gregor screamed at the lizard.

"Iiiiiit iiiis nooot ooonly thaaaat, waaariioor." The lizard said carefully, "Theeee juuuungleeeee iiis buuuurniiing."

Gregor just gaped. "The jungle is...burning?" He said horrified. "But... how?" He couldn't imagine how the huge jungle with all its Thick, ropy vines, and murderous plants could be on fire.

"Iiiii caaan noooot eeeexplaaaaiiin iiiin yooouuur tooonguueee. Foooollooow meeeee." The lizard started descending back down the stairs. "Aaand yooouuur siiisteeer."

Gregor took Boots by the hand and was about to climb down the hole when a strong hand pulled him back.

"You are not going down there again!" His mom screamed. "And you are definitely not bringing Boots with you!"

"Mom, you don't understand, they need me," Complained Gregor. He surely wouldn't win this argument, but He could at least try.

"NO. THEY. DONT. You are staying here where you belong, and your Uncle and Aunt are visiting us tomorrow,so don't dare to say a word about that horrible place while they are our guests!" His mom screamed. Gregor stared right into her eyes and caught a glint of deadliness.

That was When He knew What to do. He grabbed Boots and jumped right into the hole.

As soon as his feet hit the stone stairs, he started running at a rapid speed; He didn't even know He could speed up to. He soon reached the lizard and with an impressive jump, he landed on top of it. "Sorry for that but could you like...hurry a bit?" He asked the lizard clutching its blue-green scale. He could hear footsteps and shouting from behind. The lizard nodded and shot off like a bullet. "Hooold ooon Boots!" Gregor screamed while trying to hold on to her. She gripped her arms around his neck nearly choking him. He couldn't make a sound.

"Gregor thewre is dark," Boots complained. Gregor thought she was making a joke but realized he was using echolocation. It was very practical; He could see everything. "There'll be loads of light at Regalia, Boots." He got squeezed out between his lips.

Gregor realized He didn't know if the lizard would bring him to Regalia. He was about to ask when something at the end of the tunnel caught his attention.

A Young underlander and a flier, Most surely bonds. The flier was huge, nearly as big as Ares had been, and was the same color as the tunnel walls with Gold and emerald stains. The underlander was carrying a bag made of a kind of hide on his back. In his hand, he carried a flaming torch. "Hiss!" He shouted at the lizard. "Jump!", Before hopping on his flier.

The lizard named Hiss performed a final spurt before rising onto its hind legs and jumping onto the flier who set off like a bullet. Gregor got smacked Down on his stomach and wrapped his arms around Hiss' body to prevent him and Boots from falling off. He knew the flier would catch him if he lost grip, but it seemed as if they were in a hurry. Behind him, He could hear his mom yelling.

"I'll get you up again, whether you like the Way or not!" She bellowed in rage.

They reached the vast stone cone and began descending it.

He couldn't hear his mom anymore. He felt a flush of shame. She would never forgive him for this.

But He had other things to worry about. "So what's happening down here?" He asked the underlander.

"Bad stuff." Came the sullen reply. Gregor frowned. The underlanders were usually more polite. Conversely, he hadn't met many. "Uhh, so what are your name?" He tried again. The underlander spat down from the bat. "Josh." He murmured. He grasped the bat's fur tightly. Gregor decided not to question Josh more. He didn't seem like the talkative type.

Now they were zipping through tunnels not made of concrete but stone. Josh had fallen asleep and was snoring loudly.

Gregor leaned forward. "We are going to Regalia, right?" He asked the bat.

"Yes." It nodded. "Don't worry about Josh. He's always like that to people He doesn't know. He can be quite shy when you don't know him." It added.

Gregor smiled. He liked the bat. "So what's going on down here?" He asked it.

"Ask your girlfriend..." Josh replied from behind him.

"How'd you...I mean what are you talking about?." Gregor panicked.

"The queen. When we rescued the nibblers out in the Firelands, we kind of needed some encouragement, so Ripred told us some stuff." Josh grinned.

Gregor examined him with his eyes. He looked to be somewhere around sixteen. His silver hair fell Down over his face. "Wait, Ripred told you?" He exclaimed. "I'll murder him..." He muttered.

"Don't," Josh said. "He has had pain enough in his life." His finger went to a scar on his wrist.

"Yeah, He lost his pups and mate," Gregor said. He felt a flush of shame.

"Not only that," Josh said solemnly. He lowered his voice. "I know something about Ripred not many does. I once knew a gnawer. His name was Fogfur. He told me some stuff from Ripred's childhood. Turns out he has lost more than we

knew so far."

"But how did the gnawer know that?" Gregor demanded. He was curious to know more about Fogfur.

Josh opened his mouth to respond when the bat's head snapped up. "Darkfur!" It snarled.

Gregor opened his mouth to ask who Darkfur was when Josh pulled two daggers out of his bag. He tossed Gregor one of them. "Ouranos, Hiss, you'll be our eyes!" He shouted. Then he turned to Gregor. "You can fight, right?".

Gregor opened his mouth to answer when he felt a Claw brush over his leg. He immediately felt his rager senses kicking in. The creature's - Who turned out to be a rat - points of weaknesses came to him in a series of Quick flashes. Eyes, neck, liver, etc. He quickly slashed his dagger into its neck, opening a deep gash, most surely fatal. The rat who'd been in a jump crashed to the ground. He turned to Josh who was gaping at him. "Yeah, I can fight." Gregor grinned. Josh was about to reply when a tail slammed into Ouranos causing him to fall off. "Ouranos!" He cried. Ouranos dived so abruptly that Hiss and Gregor got practically tossed off. "Heeeelp!" Gregor screamed while falling. Boots was staring at him from above. Fortunately, she had grabbed hold of the bat's fur and clung to it.

Gregor grabbed Hiss' scale and clung to it.

They landed rather soft on the ground, Gregor shielded by Hiss' body. His dagger was laying a few feet from there. He dashed there and picked it up, just in time to defend himself from a lunging rat. He felt his rager side taking over.

His enemies's weak spots were dancing in his mind. An eye here, a liver there. Fighting with short-blade weapons wasn't something He was used to. Whenever He forgot that his weapon was Way shorter than the sword He was used to, paws found Their Way through his defense. And one question was on his mind: Why did the rats attack them?

"Warrior! Warrior, it is enough." Gregor felt two claws lifting him into the air and out of the battle. He was tossed upward and landed on Ouranos. He discovered Hiss also was there. His beautiful blue-green body was covered in wounds.

They covered everyone besides Gregor.

Well, Gregor himself also had a few wounds. A Claw had torn his stitches apart and opened his head wound again; his wrist had a Small Cut; a tail had whipped him over his cheek. But He didn't care. He just wanted to ask the one question on his mind.

"Why did they attack us?"

Josh, Who's torch had Got lost in the ambush, swallowed. "It is hard to explain, Warrior."

Gregor didn't accept that answer. "I mean, what about the peace treaty?"

"I-I Can't explain, okay?" Josh said frantically.

"Just give me a damn answer!" Gregor bellowed. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Well, turns out the Bane had pups and they've gathered a lot of different creatures that want things to change. Gnawers, fliers, humans, cutters, etc. Now DON'T TELL ME I WASN'T CLEAR ENOUGH!" Josh screamed in his face.

He whispered something in Ouranos' ear, who accelerated in speed.

Gregor didn't know what to do. He handed Josh his dagger without a Word.

The Bane apparently pups? If they were as big as their father, they would overrun the Underland in no time.

Now they were zipping through familiar tunnels. Gregor felt fairly certain they led to Regalia.

He realized that He wasn't using echolocation anymore. That meant there must be light.

As they came out of the tunnel, He Got blinded by the brightness of thousands of torches.

When he opened his eyes again, all he could do was gasp as Regalia unfolded before his eyes. He had completely forgotten how beautiful the stone city looked. In the distance, He could discern the towering Round building called the Palace. Ouranos lowered his altitude, as they flew closer and began descending. They landed softly on the stone floor in the High Hall.

A servant came running. "Josh! Your brother is waiting for you in the royal wing." Then He noticed Gregor. His jaw dropped to his chest as He recognized him. He hustled scurried off. He probably didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the warrior.

Gregor felt a slight poke in his side. "Come," Josh said and gestured for him to follow. They dashed through a network of passages and corridors and approached a pair of double doors. Josh slammed Them open.

Inside were several people, but Gregor's Brain somehow only managed to recognize one of them.

Luxa.

Before He could stop himself he sat Boots on the floor, ran forward and threw his arms around Luxa. She returned the embrace. He leaned his head forward and pressed his lips against hers. They stood like that until a familiar raspy voice interrupted them.

"Thank goodness, Howard is performing his hospital duties for the time being."

Ripred.

Gregor let go of Luxa. He glanced around the room. Sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace was Hazard. "Hello, Gregor." He greeted him. Gregor nodded and continued his glancing around.

There! At the other side of the room Ripred was sitting gnawing on a stone with an Amused expression. Gregor was about to insult him, When He remembered What Josh had said. Speaking of Josh, where was He? He scouted around the room and discovered him staring awkwardly into the air. "Uh, hi..." He said. Mareth, who had apparently been in the room too, rushed to him. "Why were you late?" He asked concerned.

"Darkfur..." Muttered Josh, "We ran into Darkfur..."

Mareth nodded. He turned to Gregor and embraced him in a bone-cracking hug. "Welcome back Gregor!" He smiled. "It appears as my little brother is unable to tell about your journey for the time being. Would you please tell us What happened?"

"Wait, Josh is your brother?" Gregor asked confused.

"Half-brother, to be exact, but would you please answer my question?" The soldier said.

Gregor cleared his throat and began telling everything. Hiss, the rats, Josh freaking out.

As soon as he had finished talking, exhaustion washed over him. He let out an outburst.

Boots pushed his arm. "Hungry." She said, pointing at her stomach.

Luxa took the word. "Gregor, Boots, you must bath. Meet us in the dining room When you are done." She said.

Gregor took Boots by the hand to head to the waters. After minutes of trotting around different corridors and passages, he realized that his inner map of the Palace had faded. He found a Guard and asked for the Way to the waters. The guard led them to two bathrooms.

Gregor didn't feel comfortable leaving Boots alone bathing. What if she drowned in the bathtub? As He remembered it, the water reached to his chest, so Boots would most surely not be able to hold herself afloat.

Pondering over the problem He didn't see the young woman arrive. He started. "Uh, hi Dulcet." He said. Dulcet smiled and took Boots by the hand. "I Will bath her, Gregor." She smiled and closed the door.

Gregor washed his wounds. After wiping himself with the towel He wrapped it tightly around his headwound. The wound had stopped bleeding.

After bathing, Gregor asked a guard about the Way to the dining room. The guard gestured for him to follow.

They arrived at the dining room soon after.

Gregor sat down on a chair. He glanced around. Sitting at the table were Luxa, Ripred, Mareth, Josh, Aurora, Nerissa, Ouranos, Boots, Hazard, and Vikus, who appeared to have regained his mobility in his right side, as Gregor Saw him lifting a fork.

Soon the food was brought in on neat dishes. There were fish, mushrooms, leaf, and of course, shrimp in cream sauce.

Gregor loaded lots of the edibles onto his plate.

The food tasted wonderful. He'd really missed the tasty Underland meals. It appeared as if Boots had too. She was stuffing herself with stewed cow and Cream. And of course, Ripred had stuck his entire face into the dish of shrimp and cream sauce and was slurping it up. "Mm."

Gregor finished eating. "So, I've heard that there is a new prophecy?" He asked struggling to sound offhand.

"Yes, there is." Said Vikus, "It is written by Nerissa."

Uurg. He suddently felt anger starting to Flood his head. He'd hoped it was just a rumor or something like that. A new prophecy. Written by Nerissa.

"And does it mention me?" He asked, taking a deep breath.

"Yes, and your sister," Vikus said.

Gregor was heating up. He was dead tired of Their stupid prophecies. Why couldn't they see that they controlled Their lives?. "And You're sure that? Just Because a fragile person says some rhyming words doesn't mean they're true. 'Remember the prophecy of Time? It foretold that I would die. But I didn't. So Just Because Nerissa makes a prophecy, you assume it's actually predicting the future?! Sandwich was an old fool, and Nerissa is becoming that too! You all are." He exploded.

The others faces were shocked. Vikus raised a hand to Calm him Down, but Gregor wouldn't Calm. He was so dead tired of these prophecies. And now Nerissa had written one too?!

A chair flew past his left Ear. Josh had stood up. "She is not a fool!" He bellowed. He jumped onto the table, shoving the many dishes and plates Down; the Sound of cracking porcelain filled his ears. He leaped right onto Gregor's chest, knocking him off his chair and onto the ground. "Now I got you!" Josh snarled. He raised his fist.

In that exact second, Gregor felt his rager side taking over. Just as Josh's fist dived towards his gut He rolled around and hammered his own knuckle into Josh's temple. The older boy let out an outburst of pain. Gregor hammered his fists onto his chest, every time with more Force Than before. Voices were calling for him to stop. But Gregor couldn't stop, He couldn't control it.

Boots started crying. "No hitting, Gregor!" She cried.

A tail slammed into him, sending him flying through the air. "Enough, boy!" Snapped Ripred.

Gregor pulled himself up, his head glancing rapidly from side to side. Boots were curled up crying on her chair, Vikus attempting to comfort her; Nerissa had passed out on her chair; Josh laid unconscious on the floor, Ripred and Mareth by his side.

Tears started to form in Gregor's eyes. He hadn't meant to hurt Josh or to call Nerissa a fool. He didn't even know why he'd exploded like that. It was just like his argument with Luxa in the Firelands. Now he felt certain it was connected to the rager thing.

Blood started running down his face and clouding his vision. He felt the instinct to flee, to escape this. His muscles tensed up, and He set off at a rapid speed.

Slamming the door behind him, he sprinted down the corridors, not daring to look back. He could hear shouting but didn't stop. He wanted to get away, to flee, to escape. The tears poured down, mixing with the blood and covering his face. Everything started to spin. The tears sprawled from his eyes, covering the walls in blood and salty tears.

Suddenly, a figure carrying a sort of weapon appeared from around a corner.

It lifted its weapon and slammed it into Gregor's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Josh is not supposed to be me.


	3. Return 2.0

The bat flew them to the High Hall where several guards were waiting for them. Their leader, a broad shouldered man, gave a signal, and they all bowed for Ripred and Gregor. "Ripred, we have been ordered to escort you and the Warrior to the royal wing."

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Oh, for goodness’ sake, Strongolin. Honestly, do you think it's dangerous for us to walk around the Palace alone, huh? We're both ragers as you very well know, and how should something hurt us in the Palace?."

"True, but we had very specific orders from - " 

Ripred pulled back his lips, revealing his inch-long rat teeth. Strongolin winced. "Whatever you say, Ripred." He turned to his guards. "Guards, we Will return to the guardroom." He then trotted off, closely followed by his guards.

When He felt sure that the guards were out of hearing distance, Gregor turned to Ripred. "So, who was that guy, Strongolin?" He asked the rat.

Ripred snorted. "Lieutenant Strongolin. Always thinking He's so important." He began walking towards a corridor. "You coming?"

"Uhh, yeah!" Gregor stumbled after him. They trotted through various halls and passages. He tried to create a mental picture of the Palace; It would be useful for later. 

He started falling behind; keeping up with the rat was a challenge for him; He hadn't run track since before Hazard's Birthday. "Come on, boy, use those legs of yours. I heard you were the only one who could keep up with Mareth; that, of course, was before He lost his leg." 

Gregor winced at the thought of Mareth; would the soldier still be his friend after What He'd done to Josh?

He shook the thought from his head. "Worry about that later. Keep up with Ripred." 

They approached the stone double doors outside the royal Wing. Doors. There weren't many doors in the Palace. There usually hung heavy curtains outside the Palace's bedrooms, shutting Them of from the halls; on the rare occasion there were doors, they were used for places that could not go without Them; the dungeon, for example. Gregor shuddered at the thought of the dungeon, remembering How Solovet had trapped him in there Because He ran away to the Firelands.  
Conversely, he'd learned echolocation while being trapped there. Still, it wasn't a Pleasant place to Think of. The double doors leading to Luxa's room must be new; perhaps they were installed while he was in the Overland dragging himself through the days?

Ripred knocked on the doors. "Hey Luxa, 'Hope You're not changing clothes or something, 'cause We're coming in." He wrapped his tail around one of the handles and pulled the left door open. 

Luxa was sitting on a stone couch inside, writing something on a scroll with a quill pen; her head instinctively snapped up as the door slid back. "Gregor!" She exclaimed, jumping from the couch resulting in her landing face First on the stone floor. "Ow." Hazard Got up from the fireplace where he'd been sitting to help her, but Howard beat him to it. "Are you okay, Luxa?" He asked, Then looked at the door were Ripred and Gregor were standing; he paled at the sight - or at least as much as an underlander Can pale.

Ripred trotted through the doorway and into the room. Gregor followed him nervously.

Luxa, who had recovered from her fall, ran to Gregor and grasped his arm tightly. "GREGOR! You - disappeared - could not - find you - anywhere! Sent - Ripred - to look for you. Give me - an - explanation!" She stammered.

Gregor swallowed. He wasn't ready to tell what Howard had done; He hadn't even told Ripred yet. Well, one way or another. He took a deep breath. "Look, Luxa, you're - You're not going to like this, okay? I've warned you now. After I raged at the dinner table, I - I ran off. I ran down various halls and corridors and passages, I couldn't stop, I wouldn't. Blood from my head wound - Which I Got from running into a wall - mixed with tears and sprayed onto the Walls - you must have seen that - and then I - I encounter this - this figure Holding a weapon. I couldn't rage, not in the State, I was in. And then - then the figure, it - it knocked me out. And When I woke up - I was in my bed in the Overland." At the time he finished Luxa, Aurora, who was also there, and Hazard looked Horrified.

A terrified expression was also plastered on Howard's face, but Gregor knew it was false; the guilt showed in his eyes.

Luxa squeezed his arm tighter.

"I - I Can - Will send a team to investigate - to catch the one who - who - I Will send Ripred, Mareth, Howard - I Will go myself." She stammered.

“No, Luxa, wait!” Gregor grabbed her arm before she could reach out for Her scroll Which Gregor presumed was some kind of plan. “You don’t need to send out an investigating team.”

“Why?” Snapped Luxa, “Do you think that I am all right with you being knocked out and dragged to the Overland?”

“No, I don’t, it’s just that - I know who did it.”

“Tell me! I will get the person in question arrested without following trial!” 

Gregor gulped. “No, you can’t - won’t because - because...” His voice trailed off. Luxa stared expectantly into his eyes. 

“Why?”

“It was Howard.” 

The impact of what he’d said seemed to have pushed Luxa in the chest. She stumbled backward, desperately searching for something to hold on to. Aurora fluttered over to her and caught the falling girl in with her wings. She lay there for a moment, sucking in deep mouthfuls of air as The words worked Their Way into her system.

“You - ” she gasped. She hopped onto her legs and grabbed a stone cup from the table. “I thought I could trust you, Howard! But you are just like Henry! A backstabber!” She threw the cup at Howard. “A Traitor!” She threw another cup. “An impostor!”

Gregor watched the scene unfolding before him. He’d hoped that Luxa might just throw a small tantrum at Howard, but this was ridiculous. They were literally wounding each other. He thought about summoning a guard but resolved not too. A guard would ask for the cause of Luxa’s tantrum, and Gregor had the feeling that Howard would be taken into custody and convicted of High treason for abducting the Warrior if He told What had happened. 

A fork dug its Way into Howard’s temple. The blood sprayed all the Way   
over on Ripred standing by the door; the rat wiped a stain from his brow.

Howard Tore out the fork and threw it back.

This was insane. It couldn’t go on. “Stop!” he cried, “Stop!”

But Luxa didn’t stop, she simply ignored him. Gregor turned to Ripred, “Aren’t you going to do something?!”

The rat grinned, “Oh, but it’s just about to get exciting! I bet she craved to do this for months.”

Gregor stared at him in disbelief.

“Down here, it’s tradition for a Queen or King to get married at an age ranging from thirteen to sixteen, and Her Highness is turning thirteen next month. Of course, there are exceptions of this but Howard seems determined to not Make Luxa one of those exceptions.” Ripred snickered. “He’s introducing her to new Young men every time He gets the chance. Oh, Well, let’s stop the fight before it gets too bloody.” 

He trotted over to the fighting cousins. “Okay, pups, let’s not kill each other. You don’t kill your allies; That’s called betrayal.” The rat slapped his tail onto Luxa’s chest, and at the same time, he pushed Howard with his back paw.

Aurora swiped under Luxa, catching her as she fell. 

Howard wasn’t that lucky. He tumbled backward and tripped over a broken stone goblet. Gregor rushed forward and leaped, throwing his body under Howard’s head in mid-air. They crashed onto the stone floor. 

Howard gazed distantly at him. “I am sorry,” he murmured before his body got limp.

Gregor gently moved Howard’s head out of the way. He climbed onto his knees and glanced around the room; everything was chaotic. Several stone items lay shattered and splintered on the floor; blood was splattered all over the room. 

A cry alerted him. Hazard sat curled up in the doorway, the tears pouring through his hands and down his face. 

“Oh, no,” thought Gregor. 

The little boy sobbed hysterically and pressed his hands harder against his eyes. “It’s my fault,” he kept murmuring. “It’s my fault.” 

Gregor crawled over to the boy. “It’s not your fault, Hazard. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine. I should have told Luxa differently.”

“No, No.” sobbed Hazard. “I told Howard that Luxa and you kissed. He got mad. He said that he had told you that...that…” his voice trailed off. 

Gregor laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Things’ll be alright, Hazard. It’s not your fault.”

Ripred had summoned two servants to clean the sticky floor. The rat turned to Gregor. “I’ll get these two to the hospital.” He scooped Luxa up with his nose and tossed her onto his back. “You need some medical assistance too. Your head wound - those stitches, they’re messed up.”  
He tossed up Howard.

They trotted out the doorway. The hallway was empty apart from two guards. “Hey, Ripred? That prophecy, the one that Nerissa made. Can you show it to me?”

Ripred stopped. “Later. When you’ve been treated by those doctors.”

They walked in silence until they reached the Hospital. Ripred summoned some doctors who hastily whisked Howard and Luxa around a corner on stretchers. 

Ripred turned around. “You better get that wound fixed. We can’t have an injured warrior with us on a quest.”

“What quest?” shouted Gregor. “Ripred! What quest?”

But the rat had vanished back down the corridor. Before he could follow him, two doctors had grabbed Gregor’s arms and dragged him around a corner and into the Hospital. “Hey!” he complained.

The doctors bathed him and cleaned his wounds. They stitched up his head wound and the cut on his wrist; They applied a kind of ointment to the red bruise on his cheek. 

“Overlander, you are needed in the Council Room.” one of the doctors informed him as she adjusted his stitches. “The new one.”

As soon as the doctor had finished adjusting his stitches, she pushed him out of the room and into the corridors of the Hospital. 

Gregor looked around. Doctors scurried around the Hospital, carrying stretchers or medical equipment.

He sniffed. Everything reeked of Smoke and burned flesh. “It must be the casualties from the fire in the Jungle,” he thought.

Gregor shook the thought from his head. “Find the New Council Room,” he told himself. 

He walked through the corridors out of the Hospital and climbed the stone staircase. On his Way up He noticed a group of bats sweeping down beside him carrying bruised and burned lizards in all sizes. The smallest in the group seemed to carry something that looked suspiciously like a giant green fly with a Nasty gash running through its red compound eye.

Gregor winced at the wound.

At the top of the staircase, he found a guard who showed him the Way to the New Council Room. Gregor tried to memorize the route as they made their way through the hallways.

After approximately five minutes they arrived at a doorway with a picture carved into the stone above it depicting seven species standing in a circle: human, rat, mouse, bat, cockroach, spider and mole.

Gregor muttered a “thanks” to the guard before pulling aside the heavy curtain shutting off the room from the hallway. 

The New Council Room was a heptagonal room with an also heptagonal table in the middle. Each side of the table had Labels like “spinner” and “Gnawer”.

Seven beings were seated around the table at Their labeled sites of it, whom Gregor recognized as the delegates chosen at the meeting after Luxa and Ripred had bonded at the day of surrender: Mareth, Lapblood, Heronian, Nike, Temp, Reflex and a mole that Gregor did not know the name of. Several other beings also stood behind The delegate of Their species: Vikus, Ripred, Aurora, Josh, Ouranos, Andromeda, Nike, Hazard, Lapblood’s pups, Sixclaw and Flyfur, and several others that Gregor couldn’t recognize. 

Gregor stepped into the room. 

Lapblood cleared her breath, “Now that the overlander is here, let us open the meeting. Ripred, I assume you have filled him in on the quest details…?”

Ripred didn’t answer. 

Lapblood scowled. “Ripred! This quest is crucial for our survival, and despite that, you have not indeed told our warrior why we have brought him here!” 

“Hey!” Gregor had the impulse to stand up for Ripred. “Some doctors were fixing me up. Ripred promised to show me the prophecy but then I got called over here.” 

Ripred rolled his eyes. “He’s right. Lapblood, you proceed with the meeting. Explain the details. I’ll show Prince Ge-go here the prophecy that our little soothsayer made.” He gestured at Gregor. “And bring his sister up here as well. We need her on the quest.” He added.

The rat turned to Gregor. “Come.” He started walking.

Gregor hastily followed Ripred out the doorway. They strolled down corridors and hallways towards the prophecy room. 

“Really, Ripred? Prince Ge-go?” 

Ripred ignored the comment. “Quiet! I’m supposed to explain some of the quest details to you!”

“Then tell me.” And suddenly Gregor was fed up with not knowing what was going on. “You guys tend to keep the important stuff hidden from me until the last minute because you think I can’t handle it! Who says I can’t handle it? I can handle it!”

“Hmm…” smirked Ripred. 

“And don’t you ‘hmm’ at me! Tell me what this quest is about! And don’t leave out any details!”

Ripred rolled his eyes. “On this quest, We’re going to the Plain of Tartarus. But not just straight through the tunnels. No, We’re using a special route - which is actually simply a long Way round to different places - provided to us by some cuckoo old morons ready to sacrifice their children for a prophecy - not that the prophecy tell Them to do that - but you get the point, right?”

Gregor nodded slowly. He inhaled a deep breath of air.

Ripred continued. “We’re going to the Plain because some fool thought of the idea that Scratchblood May have hidden troops hiding underneath it. Or, actually, it was the prophecy that said that, but not specifically. I’m only going on this quest so I‘ll have a chance to fight. I don’t fight much anymore because of my stupid duties as the Peacemaker.” Ripred snorted. “I should’ve never have given myself that extra scar.” He muttered.

They had reached the polished wooden door leading to the prophecy room. Ripred knocked on the door.

There was a stumbling noise, and the door was opened by Nerissa, as fragile and pale as always. “Hello, Gregor, Ripred.” She greeted them.

“Hey.” Gregor swallowed. “Hey, Nerissa, I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to - ”

But Nerissa interrupted him. “It is alright, Gregor. I do not hold a grudge against you. Come in, so shall you see the prophecy.”

“Okay.” Gregor stepped into the room that had the shape of a cube. “So, where is it?”

Nerissa pulled a stone tablet from a basket standing on the ground. “This is my prophecy.” She said.

Ripred and Gregor stepped closer. Gregor squinted at the tiny words on chiseled into the stone tablet:

As the Jungle burns  
The Warrior returns  
A new enemy will arise  
Beneath where soaked White lies

The snowrat had pups, No one knew He would  
Three followed his path, one was good  
The rebellious beings will follow the three  
To power, the coat color White is a key

The species that spared a Young bat’s life  
Will stay loyal and safe us twice  
The crawler will protect the princess to the last  
Honor him for all he has done in the past

A raging storm of claws and paws  
A band not only of rat jaws  
Deepest inside the final core  
Is the murderer’s claw

A claw of iron shall claw one precious of the rats  
The warrior will be saved by two forgotten bats  
Our life and death is one we two  
That line Will the warrior renew

Gregor finished the poem. 

“What do you think of it, boy?” enquired Ripred.

“It’s...strange,” Gregor said, unable to think of a word to describe the prophecy. “What’s it called?”

Nerissa tabbed the top of the tablet. The Prophecy Of Claw, Gregor read.

“Shall we decipher it, Gregor?” proposed Nerissa.

“But you made it. You must know what it means, right?” 

Nerissa shook her head lightly. “No. It appears as if Bartholomew of Sandwich has transferred part of his visions to me, more specifically the ones that He did not manage to turn into prophecies before his passing.”

“I see,” said Gregor, pursing his lips and read the first stanza aloud.

“As the Jungle burns  
The warrior returns  
A new enemy will arise  
Beneath where soaked White lies. ”

“The First Two Lines predict that while the Jungle burns, you will return,” explained Nerissa promptly.

“Which I did,” concluded Gregor. “But why is it using the term ‘Warrior’? I killed him if you remember.”

“I observed in my vision that you would return and Bear Sandwich’s sword in Battle yet another time, which must mean that the Warrior have been resurrected. Thus, we have mended your sword. It lay at the Museum for the time being.”

“Okay - What does the last two lines mean?” Gregor asked keenly.

“Well, the second last Line talks about Scratchblood and his army.”  
Ripred ground his teeth.

‘A new enemy will arise’” quoted Nerissa firmly.

Ripred rolled his eyes slightly. “But the last line, see that is rather cryptic. But we, and by that I mean the New Council and I, have come to a conclusion, although I think it’s fairly doubtful.” 

The rat leaned in closer. “It is said that there runs a network of tunnels and caves deeper than Regalia at the same level as Hades Hall. This network is called “The Forgotten Lands”, for obvious reasons. But the thing is, nobody knows if The Forgotten Lands actually exists. It’s just a Canard, a tall tale. And if they exist, we haven’t found any passages that lead there. There is a theory that suggests that it might be deep pits similar to the one King Gorger and his cronies fell into, that could be the passages, so earthquakes could also open passages to The Forgotten Lands.” 

Ripred cleared his breath. “What I mean is, that the prophecy says ‘Beneath where soaked White lies’. ‘Soaked white’ could refer to the Bane’s white coat soaked by the blood from the wound you inflicted him.”

The rat avoided his gaze. “What I’m trying to say is...it is possible that Scratchblood has found The Forgotten Lands and hides his troops down there. Now, get on with the decoding. We don’t have all day for this.”

Gregor recited the second stanza.

“The snowrat had pups, no one knew He would  
Three followed his path, one was good  
The rebellious creatures will follow the three  
To power, the color White is a key”

“The snowrat...Why not simply call it the Bane?” wondered Gregor aloud.

Ripred shrugged. “Well, don’t ask me.” He rolled his eyes. That was becoming a habit, Gregor realized.

“Three followed his path, One was good.” Recited Nerissa.

“Well, that’s pretty clear,” said Gregor. “Three of the Bane’s pups were bad. Scratchblood, Rustcoat, and Claymuzzle.”

“Claycoat and Rustmuzzle.” Corrected Ripred him. He yawned. “Are we done soon? This is boring.”

Gregor ignored His comment. “Yeah, Claycoat and Rustmuzzle. But Who’s the good one then?” He asked Nerissa.

“Well, personally.” Ripred interrupted. “I don’t think there is a good one. Proceed to the next stanza, you don’t need to be a genius to figure out what the last two Lines mean.”

Nerissa read the third stanza aloud.

“The species that spared a Young bat’s life  
Will stay loyal and safe us twice  
The crawler will protect the princess to the last  
Honor him for all he has done in the past”

“The species that spared a Young bat’s life,” quoted Gregor. “Maybe it could be - “ 

But Ripred Cut him off. “Oh, just shut up!” he roared. “I’m sick of this! I don’t care about prophecies, we’re wasting precious time.” He spat harshly and stormed out of the room.

Gregor’s eyes widened. “Wow,” He said. “That was Strange.”

Nerissa’s gaze was blank. “He is under much pressure for the time being.”

“What do you mean?” What could make Ripred that edgy? 

There was a loud thump. “Nerissa?” Gregor’s head twisted abruptly ninety degrees to the left. What met his eyes was a strange sight.

Nerissa had fallen on the floor, her limbs thrashing lightly. Her eyes were opened and held a distant gaze on an invisible object in the doorway. She whispered something vague and shifted her gaze to Gregor. “Warrior.”

“Nerissa? Do you want me to get a doctor?” 

But Nerissa had already broken out of her trance and was staring intensely at Gregor. “I must go on the quest. If I do not, a young life will pass.”


	4. Explaining

The bat flew them to the High Hall where several guards were waiting for them. Their leader, a broad shouldered man, gave a signal, and they all bowed for Ripred and Gregor. "Ripred, we have been ordered to escort you and the Warrior to the royal wing."

Ripred rolled his eyes. "Oh, for goodness' sake, Strongolin. Honestly, do you think it's dangerous for us to walk around the Palace alone, huh? We're both ragers as you very well know, and how should something hurt us in the Palace?."

"True, but we had very specific orders from - "

Ripred pulled back his lips, revealing his inch-long rat teeth. Strongolin winced. "Whatever you say, Ripred." He turned to his guards. "Guards, we Will return to the guardroom." He then trotted off, closely followed by his guards.

When He felt sure that the guards were out of hearing distance, Gregor turned to Ripred. "So, who was that guy, Strongolin?" He asked the rat.

Ripred snorted. "Lieutenant Strongolin. Always thinking He's so important." He began walking towards a corridor. "You coming?"

"Uhh, yeah!" Gregor stumbled after him. They trotted through various halls and passages. He tried to create a mental picture of the Palace; It would be useful for later.

He started falling behind; keeping up with the rat was a challenge for him; He hadn't run track since before Hazard's Birthday. "Come on, boy, use those legs of yours. I heard you were the only one who could keep up with Mareth; that, of course, was before He lost his leg."

Gregor winced at the thought of Mareth; would the soldier still be his friend after What He'd done to Josh?

He shook the thought from his head. "Worry about that later. Keep up with Ripred."

They approached the stone double doors outside the royal Wing. Doors. There weren't many doors in the Palace. There usually hung heavy curtains outside the Palace's bedrooms, shutting Them of from the halls; on the rare occasion there were doors, they were used for places that could not go without Them; the dungeon, for example. Gregor shuddered at the thought of the dungeon, remembering How Solovet had trapped him in there Because He ran away to the Firelands.

Conversely, he'd learned echolocation while being trapped there. Still, it wasn't a Pleasant place to Think of. The double doors leading to Luxa's room must be new; perhaps they were installed while he was in the Overland dragging himself through the days?

Ripred knocked on the doors. "Hey Luxa, 'Hope You're not changing clothes or something, 'cause We're coming in." He wrapped his tail around one of the handles and pulled the left door open.

Luxa was sitting on a stone couch inside, writing something on a scroll with a quill pen; her head instinctively snapped up as the door slid back. "Gregor!" She exclaimed, jumping from the couch resulting in her landing face First on the stone floor. "Ow." Hazard Got up from the fireplace where he'd been sitting to help her, but Howard beat him to it. "Are you okay, Luxa?" He asked, Then looked at the door were Ripred and Gregor were standing; he paled at the sight - or at least as much as an underlander Can pale.

Ripred trotted through the doorway and into the room. Gregor followed him nervously.

Luxa, who had recovered from her fall, ran to Gregor and grasped his arm tightly. "GREGOR! You - disappeared - could not - find you - anywhere! Sent - Ripred - to look for you. Give me - an - explanation!" She stammered.

Gregor swallowed. He wasn't ready to tell what Howard had done; He hadn't even told Ripred yet. Well, one way or another. He took a deep breath. "Look, Luxa, you're - You're not going to like this, okay? I've warned you now. After I raged at the dinner table, I - I ran off. I ran down various halls and corridors and passages, I couldn't stop, I wouldn't. Blood from my head wound - Which I Got from running into a wall - mixed with tears and sprayed onto the Walls - you must have seen that - and then I - I encounter this - this figure Holding a weapon. I couldn't rage, not in the State, I was in. And then - then the figure, it - it knocked me out. And When I woke up - I was in my bed in the Overland." At the time he finished Luxa, Aurora, who was also there, and Hazard looked Horrified.

A terrified expression was also plastered on Howard's face, but Gregor knew it was false; the guilt showed in his eyes.

Luxa squeezed his arm tighter.

"I - I Can - Will send a team to investigate - to catch the one who - who - I Will send Ripred, Mareth, Howard - I Will go myself." She stammered.

"No, Luxa, wait!" Gregor grabbed her arm before she could reach out for Her scroll Which Gregor presumed was some kind of plan. "You don't need to send out an investigating team."

"Why?" Snapped Luxa, "Do you think that I am all right with you being knocked out and dragged to the Overland?"

"No, I don't, it's just that - I know who did it."

"Tell me! I will get the person in question arrested without following trial!"

Gregor gulped. "No, you can't - won't because - because..." His voice trailed off. Luxa stared expectantly into his eyes.

"Why?"

"It was Howard."

The impact of what he'd said seemed to have pushed Luxa in the chest. She stumbled backward, desperately searching for something to hold on to. Aurora fluttered over to her and caught the falling girl in with her wings. She lay there for a moment, sucking in deep mouthfuls of air as The words worked Their Way into her system.

"You - " she gasped. She hopped onto her legs and grabbed a stone cup from the table. "I thought I could trust you, Howard! But you are just like Henry! A backstabber!" She threw the cup at Howard. "A Traitor!" She threw another cup. "An impostor!"

Gregor watched the scene unfolding before him. He'd hoped that Luxa might just throw a small tantrum at Howard, but this was ridiculous. They were literally wounding each other. He thought about summoning a guard but resolved not too. A guard would ask for the cause of Luxa's tantrum, and Gregor had the feeling that Howard would be taken into custody and convicted of High treason for abducting the Warrior if He told What had happened.

A fork dug its Way into Howard's temple. The blood sprayed all the Way

over on Ripred standing by the door; the rat wiped a stain from his brow.

Howard Tore out the fork and threw it back.

This was insane. It couldn't go on. "Stop!" he cried, "Stop!"

But Luxa didn't stop, she simply ignored him. Gregor turned to Ripred, "Aren't you going to do something?!"

The rat grinned, "Oh, but it's just about to get exciting! I bet she craved to do this for months."

Gregor stared at him in disbelief.

"Down here, it's tradition for a Queen or King to get married at an age ranging from thirteen to sixteen, and Her Highness is turning thirteen next month. Of course, there are exceptions of this but Howard seems determined to not Make Luxa one of those exceptions." Ripred snickered. "He's introducing her to new Young men every time He gets the chance. Oh, Well, let's stop the fight before it gets too bloody."

He trotted over to the fighting cousins. "Okay, pups, let's not kill each other. You don't kill your allies; That's called betrayal." The rat slapped his tail onto Luxa's chest, and at the same time, he pushed Howard with his back paw.

Aurora swiped under Luxa, catching her as she fell.

Howard wasn't that lucky. He tumbled backward and tripped over a broken stone goblet. Gregor rushed forward and leaped, throwing his body under Howard's head in mid-air. They crashed onto the stone floor.

Howard gazed distantly at him. "I am sorry," he murmured before his body got limp.

Gregor gently moved Howard's head out of the way. He climbed onto his knees and glanced around the room; everything was chaotic. Several stone items lay shattered and splintered on the floor; blood was splattered all over the room.

A cry alerted him. Hazard sat curled up in the doorway, the tears pouring through his hands and down his face.

"Oh, no," thought Gregor.

The little boy sobbed hysterically and pressed his hands harder against his eyes. "It's my fault," he kept murmuring. "It's my fault."

Gregor crawled over to the boy. "It's not your fault, Hazard. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have told Luxa differently."

"No, No." sobbed Hazard. "I told Howard that Luxa and you kissed. He got mad. He said that he had told you that...that…" his voice trailed off.

Gregor laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Things'll be alright, Hazard. It's not your fault."

Ripred had summoned two servants to clean the sticky floor. The rat turned to Gregor. "I'll get these two to the hospital." He scooped Luxa up with his nose and tossed her onto his back. "You need some medical assistance too. Your head wound - those stitches, they're messed up."

He tossed up Howard.

They trotted out the doorway. The hallway was empty apart from two guards. "Hey, Ripred? That prophecy, the one that Nerissa made. Can you show it to me?"

Ripred stopped. "Later. When you've been treated by those doctors."

They walked in silence until they reached the Hospital. Ripred summoned some doctors who hastily whisked Howard and Luxa around a corner on stretchers.

Ripred turned around. "You better get that wound fixed. We can't have an injured warrior with us on a quest."

"What quest?" shouted Gregor. "Ripred! What quest?"

But the rat had vanished back down the corridor. Before he could follow him, two doctors had grabbed Gregor's arms and dragged him around a corner and into the Hospital. "Hey!" he complained.

The doctors bathed him and cleaned his wounds. They stitched up his head wound and the cut on his wrist; They applied a kind of ointment to the red bruise on his cheek.

"Overlander, you are needed in the Council Room." one of the doctors informed him as she adjusted his stitches. "The new one."

As soon as the doctor had finished adjusting his stitches, she pushed him out of the room and into the corridors of the Hospital.

Gregor looked around. Doctors scurried around the Hospital, carrying stretchers or medical equipment.

He sniffed. Everything reeked of Smoke and burned flesh. "It must be the casualties from the fire in the Jungle," he thought.

Gregor shook the thought from his head. "Find the New Council Room," he told himself.

He walked through the corridors out of the Hospital and climbed the stone staircase. On his Way up He noticed a group of bats sweeping down beside him carrying bruised and burned lizards in all sizes. The smallest in the group seemed to carry something that looked suspiciously like a giant green fly with a Nasty gash running through its red compound eye.

Gregor winced at the wound.

At the top of the staircase, he found a guard who showed him the Way to the New Council Room. Gregor tried to memorize the route as they made their way through the hallways.

After approximately five minutes they arrived at a doorway with a picture carved into the stone above it depicting seven species standing in a circle: human, rat, mouse, bat, cockroach, spider and mole.

Gregor muttered a "thanks" to the guard before pulling aside the heavy curtain shutting off the room from the hallway.

The New Council Room was a heptagonal room with an also heptagonal table in the middle. Each side of the table had Labels like "spinner" and "Gnawer".

Seven beings were seated around the table at Their labeled sites of it, whom Gregor recognized as the delegates chosen at the meeting after Luxa and Ripred had bonded at the day of surrender: Mareth, Lapblood, Heronian, Nike, Temp, Reflex and a mole that Gregor did not know the name of. Several other beings also stood behind The delegate of Their species: Vikus, Ripred, Aurora, Josh, Ouranos, Andromeda, Nike, Hazard, Lapblood's pups, Sixclaw and Flyfur, and several others that Gregor couldn't recognize.

Gregor stepped into the room.

Lapblood cleared her breath, "Now that the overlander is here, let us open the meeting. Ripred, I assume you have filled him in on the quest details…?"

Ripred didn't answer.

Lapblood scowled. "Ripred! This quest is crucial for our survival, and despite that, you have not indeed told our warrior why we have brought him here!"

"Hey!" Gregor had the impulse to stand up for Ripred. "Some doctors were fixing me up. Ripred promised to show me the prophecy but then I got called over here."

Ripred rolled his eyes. "He's right. Lapblood, you proceed with the meeting. Explain the details. I'll show Prince Ge-go here the prophecy that our little soothsayer made." He gestured at Gregor. "And bring his sister up here as well. We need her on the quest." He added.

The rat turned to Gregor. "Come." He started walking.

Gregor hastily followed Ripred out the doorway. They strolled down corridors and hallways towards the prophecy room.

"Really, Ripred? Prince Ge-go?"

Ripred ignored the comment. "Quiet! I'm supposed to explain some of the quest details to you!"

"Then tell me." And suddenly Gregor was fed up with not knowing what was going on. "You guys tend to keep the important stuff hidden from me until the last minute because you think I can't handle it! Who says I can't handle it? I can handle it!"

"Hmm…" smirked Ripred.

"And don't you 'hmm' at me! Tell me what this quest is about! And don't leave out any details!"

Ripred rolled his eyes. "On this quest, We're going to the Plain of Tartarus. But not just straight through the tunnels. No, We're using a special route - which is actually simply a long Way round to different places - provided to us by some cuckoo old morons ready to sacrifice their children for a prophecy - not that the prophecy tell Them to do that - but you get the point, right?"

Gregor nodded slowly. He inhaled a deep breath of air.

Ripred continued. "We're going to the Plain because some fool thought of the idea that Scratchblood May have hidden troops hiding underneath it. Or, actually, it was the prophecy that said that, but not specifically. I'm only going on this quest so I'll have a chance to fight. I don't fight much anymore because of my stupid duties as the Peacemaker." Ripred snorted. "I should've never have given myself that extra scar." He muttered.

They had reached the polished wooden door leading to the prophecy room. Ripred knocked on the door.

There was a stumbling noise, and the door was opened by Nerissa, as fragile and pale as always. "Hello, Gregor, Ripred." She greeted them.

"Hey." Gregor swallowed. "Hey, Nerissa, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to - "

But Nerissa interrupted him. "It is alright, Gregor. I do not hold a grudge against you. Come in, so shall you see the prophecy."

"Okay." Gregor stepped into the room that had the shape of a cube. "So, where is it?"

Nerissa pulled a stone tablet from a basket standing on the ground. "This is my prophecy." She said.

Ripred and Gregor stepped closer. Gregor squinted at the tiny words on chiseled into the stone tablet:

As the Jungle burns

The Warrior returns

A new enemy will arise

Beneath where soaked White lies

The snowrat had pups, No one knew He would

Three followed his path, one was good

The rebellious beings will follow the three

To power, the coat color White is a key

The species that spared a Young bat's life

Will stay loyal and safe us twice

The crawler will protect the princess to the last

Honor him for all he has done in the past

A raging storm of claws and paws

A band not only of rat jaws

Deepest inside the final core

Is the murderer's claw

A claw of iron shall claw one precious of the rats

The warrior will be saved by two forgotten bats

Our life and death is one we two

That line Will the warrior renew

Gregor finished the poem.

"What do you think of it, boy?" enquired Ripred.

"It's...strange," Gregor said, unable to think of a word to describe the prophecy. "What's it called?"

Nerissa tabbed the top of the tablet. The Prophecy Of Claw, Gregor read.

"Shall we decipher it, Gregor?" proposed Nerissa.

"But you made it. You must know what it means, right?"

Nerissa shook her head lightly. "No. It appears as if Bartholomew of Sandwich has transferred part of his visions to me, more specifically the ones that He did not manage to turn into prophecies before his passing."

"I see," said Gregor, pursing his lips and read the first stanza aloud.

"As the Jungle burns

The warrior returns

A new enemy will arise

Beneath where soaked White lies. "

"The First Two Lines predict that while the Jungle burns, you will return," explained Nerissa promptly.

"Which I did," concluded Gregor. "But why is it using the term 'Warrior'? I killed him if you remember."

"I observed in my vision that you would return and Bear Sandwich's sword in Battle yet another time, which must mean that the Warrior have been resurrected. Thus, we have mended your sword. It lay at the Museum for the time being."

"Okay - What does the last two lines mean?" Gregor asked keenly.

"Well, the second last Line talks about Scratchblood and his army."

Ripred ground his teeth.

'A new enemy will arise'" quoted Nerissa firmly.

Ripred rolled his eyes slightly. "But the last line, see that is rather cryptic. But we, and by that I mean the New Council and I, have come to a conclusion, although I think it's fairly doubtful."

The rat leaned in closer. "It is said that there runs a network of tunnels and caves deeper than Regalia at the same level as Hades Hall. This network is called "The Forgotten Lands", for obvious reasons. But the thing is, nobody knows if The Forgotten Lands actually exists. It's just a Canard, a tall tale. And if they exist, we haven't found any passages that lead there. There is a theory that suggests that it might be deep pits similar to the one King Gorger and his cronies fell into, that could be the passages, so earthquakes could also open passages to The Forgotten Lands."

Ripred cleared his breath. "What I mean is, that the prophecy says 'Beneath where soaked White lies'. 'Soaked white' could refer to the Bane's white coat soaked by the blood from the wound you inflicted him."

The rat avoided his gaze. "What I'm trying to say is...it is possible that Scratchblood has found The Forgotten Lands and hides his troops down there. Now, get on with the decoding. We don't have all day for this."

Gregor recited the second stanza.

"The snowrat had pups, no one knew He would

Three followed his path, one was good

The rebellious creatures will follow the three

To power, the color White is a key"

"The snowrat...Why not simply call it the Bane?" wondered Gregor aloud.

Ripred shrugged. "Well, don't ask me." He rolled his eyes. That was becoming a habit, Gregor realized.

"Three followed his path, One was good." Recited Nerissa.

"Well, that's pretty clear," said Gregor. "Three of the Bane's pups were bad. Scratchblood, Rustcoat, and Claymuzzle."

"Claycoat and Rustmuzzle." Corrected Ripred him. He yawned. "Are we done soon? This is boring."

Gregor ignored His comment. "Yeah, Claycoat and Rustmuzzle. But Who's the good one then?" He asked Nerissa.

"Well, personally." Ripred interrupted. "I don't think there is a good one. Proceed to the next stanza, you don't need to be a genius to figure out what the last two Lines mean."

Nerissa read the third stanza aloud.

"The species that spared a Young bat's life

Will stay loyal and safe us twice

The crawler will protect the princess to the last

Honor him for all he has done in the past"

"The species that spared a Young bat's life," quoted Gregor. "Maybe it could be - "

But Ripred Cut him off. "Oh, just shut up!" he roared. "I'm sick of this! I don't care about prophecies, we're wasting precious time." He spat harshly and stormed out of the room.

Gregor's eyes widened. "Wow," He said. "That was Strange."

Nerissa's gaze was blank. "He is under much pressure for the time being."

"What do you mean?" What could make Ripred that edgy?

There was a loud thump. "Nerissa?" Gregor's head twisted abruptly ninety degrees to the left. What met his eyes was a strange sight.

Nerissa had fallen on the floor, her limbs thrashing lightly. Her eyes were opened and held a distant gaze on an invisible object in the doorway. She whispered something vague and shifted her gaze to Gregor. "Warrior."

"Nerissa? Do you want me to get a doctor?"

But Nerissa had already broken out of her trance and was staring intensely at Gregor. "I must go on the quest. If I do not, a young life will pass."


	5. The Quest

After checking that Nerissa was unharmed, Gregor and Nerissa made Their Way to the New Council Room.

Panting, Gregor tore the Heavy curtain aside and stepped into the heptagonal room. “Hey!” He croaked out.

From the other side of the table, a childish voice squealed and Boots scuttled across the room to hug Gregor. She clenched his leg with her arms. “Gregor!” She babbled, “I play with Hazard’s mouse friend!”

“That’s great, Boots.” He kissed her curly head. 

Lapblood cleared her breath. “Now that our fellow Warrior is here, we can announce the quest members.”

“The humans are Queen Luxa, Howard, Mareth, Josh, Hazard, Boots, the Warrior and Morris.” A stubby man around the same age as Vikus grinned at the mention of his name.

“Wait!” it came from the doorway. “I must go on the quest!” Nerissa called out.

“And why must you that?” Demanded a brown nibbler.

“Quiet! You are not allowed to speak, Archimedes!” Snapped Lapblood. “But why must you go on the quest, Nerissa?”

“I have had a vision,” she replied simply.

“A vision? Now, don’t think I don’t believe that your vision is predicting something.” Lapblood started. “It’s simply that a vision isn’t reason enough to go on this quest.” She said through gritted teeth.

“We will lose a life more than necessary if I do not go,” Nerissa spoke firmly.

Lapblood considered it for a moment. “Fine.” She agreed reluctantly. “If you don’t make an obstruction for the other quest members.”

She continued to call out the quest members.

“The fliers are Aurora, Nike, Andromeda, Ouranos, Castor, and Pollux.”

“The gnawers are Ripred, Sixclaw, Flyfur and I.”

“The nibblers are Archimedes and Newton.”

“Temp and Travisjakadash Will follow us as representatives of their species.” The mole at the heptagonal table grunted.

“I suggest we get some sleep.” He growled quietly.

“That is right, Dashie, it will be a long journey tomorrow.” Snickered a light Brown bat. 

“And don’t Make fun of my name, Castor! It’s Travisjakadash! Not, Jaka or Dashie! It’s TRAVISJAKADASH!” The mole’s growl grew to a Roar. Hazard patted him and chirped something to it in What Gregor assumed was the mole tongue. The mammal’s muscles relaxed, and He chirped something back.

Meanwhile, Lapblood had been grooming her coat. She now spoke up with a firm paw gesture. “The meeting is dismissed. Everybody, pack your stuff. Get some rest. We meet in the High Hall early tomorrow. ” 

In the next few seconds, a bottleneck occurred in the doorway where Gregor was standing. He grabbed Boots’ hand and tried to squeeze through the crowd. But he got stuck there. They stood pressed against a stone wall the next minute before finally getting past the crowd.

As if on queue Dulcet appeared from around a corner. She handed him a leather bag. “I have packed a few things for Boots and you.” 

Gregor smiled. “Thanks, Dulcet. Do you know if they have a room provided for us?”

Dulcet shook her head. “Unfortunately, I do not. Might you ask Vikus?”

Gregor turned to find Vikus still in the heptagonal room. “Yeah. Bye, Dulcet!” He called out to her as she made her way around the corner again. 

Vikus limped up to him. “Gregor, you and Boots must sleep. A room has been assigned to you.” The old man led them to a room close to the museum. “A servant will wake you. Is there anything that you would like me to do for you?” 

Gregor considered it for a moment. Nothing came straight to his mind. 

Oh, wait!

“Can you send a letter to my parents? They must be worried about me.” “And my uncle wants to kill me,” He thought.

“Yes. I Will do that. Now, I Will leave you alone. Goodnight.” And with that   
Vikus disappeared around a corner. 

The room was rather roomy and had two decent-sized beds braced against the wall. It also had a bathroom with a toilet, a basin with a faucet that provided cold water, and a small stone pool. Gregor placed the leather bag on one of the beds and he and Boots went to the bathroom. They brushed their teeth with their fingers and He made Boots pee one more time for safety reasons. Then He tucked her in one of the beds, shut the curtain, and climbed in himself. 

“Tell a story!” Squealed Boots. The comment gave Gregor the feeling of déjà vu. “Shh, Boots.” He whispered. “You need to be Quiet.”

“Okay. Boots is Quiet. Can I hear a story now? Boots and the Birthday cake please!” she asked.

“Yep.” Gregor grinned. That was her favorite story. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Boots…” He started.

Boots yawned. 

“You sure you can stay awake, little girl?”

“Ye-es. I’m a big girl now.” Boots said seriously.

Nothing more than five minutes passed before Boots was fast asleep. Gregor smiled to himself, but the smile fainted When He recalled the quest tomorrow. Geez, every time he was Down here He was going on a quest, whether it was official or a secret.

His eyelids began to droop. The darkness embraced him, slumber was calling for him to enter its realm. He let the drowsiness take over and drifted into sleep...

The next morning, a servant with a gong woke them. Gregor bathed and discovered that a pile of Underland clothes had been left for them on a bench in the bathroom. He slipped into an ebony-colored shirt and pants and helped Boots get her lavender-blue shirt over her head. Then He grabbed the leather bag Dulcet had given him and He and Boots made their Way to the High Hall. On the Way there He remembered to grab his sword in the museum. He didn’t bother to take a look at it before arriving in the High Hall.

The other quest members were waiting for them. Some of them were deep in their own thoughts, while others, like Sixclaw and Flyfur, were pacing the room restlessly. Some bats had huge bags draped over their wings. Luxa and Howard had returned from their hospital visit, looking weary. Ripred, who was discussing something with the mole representative - Was it Davistakajash? - looked up at Gregor’s arrival. “You’re late.” He commented. The rat scouted around. “Everyone, Mount up!” he barked. “I want Luxa, Hazard, Newton, Temp, Boots, and Gregor on Aurora. Sixclaw and Flyfur, you go with Howard on Nike. Mareth and Lapblood on Andromeda, Archimedes you go with Nerissa on Castor. Ouranos, You’re taking Josh and Travisjakadash. I’m on Pollux with Morris.” 

The room broke out into chatter as people complained about their assigned bats. “Enough!” Shouted Ripred. “You mount those fliers.” He rolled his eyes and made his way to a big light brown bat.

Gregor quickly found Aurora and climbed on top of her. He hauled Boots up on the bat and positioned himself with his back to Luxa. He looked over his shoulder. “Hey.” 

She nodded. 

Aurora lifted into the air and swept out of the High Hall

In front of Luxa sat Hazard braced against Aurora’s head. An ink-black nibbler sat at his feet. The mouse wasn’t a pup, nor was it full grown.

“Who’s that?” Gregor pointed at the nibbler. There was something familiar about it.

“I am He called Newton.” The mouse smiled warmly.

Gregor recognized the nibbler. “I called you out. In the Arena. Your parents weren’t there.”

Newton’s eyes darkened.

“His parents were lost in the Firelands.” Said Hazard unhappily.

Luxa patted him. “Now He lives with Aurora, Hazard and I.”

“That’s great.” 

There was a thud. Gregor turned back to Boots to see Temp behind her. “Hey, Temp”

“Hello.” The roach patted Boots with his leg. “Remember me, princess, remember me?”

“Temp!” Squealed the little girl and hugged the roach. 

“Worked plan, worked?” Temp asked Gregor. 

“What? The small roaches? Yeah, it did.” Gregor placed his sword into his belt. 

Boots started singing “The Alphabet Song”. Soon Temp and Hazard had joined in and there were three rather off-key voices bawling the song.

“Geez,” thought Gregor. 

He opened the leather bag and poured the contents out in his lap. There was a thick, leather-bound book, a red ball, some blankets, a spinning top, two flashlights, a roll of duct tape and a smaller sack containing cookies.

He felt Aurora tensing up a bit.

“I better get those three to stop singing.” he thought. He snatched the red ball.

“Boots!”

Boots stopped singing. Gregor held out the ball. “Why don’t you guys play with this Ball?”

Fortunately, Boots plucked the ball right out of his hand and threw it into the air. “Hazard! Temp! See! I have a ball!” She exclaimed excitedly.

“Just don’t lose it!” Gregor warned her. “I don’t have another one.”

He then turned to Luxa. “So, where are we going? I mean, I have heard that We’re headed for the Plain of Tartarus, but Ripred said something about a special route.”

“We are traveling on a path that offers us better cover. Vikus have arranged two guides for us, although I do not know their identity. We are to meet them at the outskirts of the Fount.”

The Fount. He’d been to the Fount once When they were looking for the mice last summer.

Ripred whizzed past them on a big light brown bat. He appeared to be in a conversation with that old, stubby man who was at the meeting yesterday. 

“Who’s that?” Gregor pointed at the man.

“That is Morris. He is Vikus’ brother.” Replied Luxa. “He was chosen for this quest because of his fighting talents as Well as the Fact that He was once a member of the Old Council.”

“Vikus has a brother? That makes Morris your grand uncle.” He wasn’t entirely sure if that was the right term. Geez, it felt like everybody Down here was related in some way.

“Yes, He happens to be.” She put her mouth to his ear. “Howard has been acting odd since our fight yesterday. Not as...protecting. However, He refuses to tell me why. He keeps telling me that He is simply still a tad shaken over the fight. He will not tell me the reason for his Odd Behavior, but Maybe He will tell you.” Her voice was pleading. “Will you try, Gregor?”

“Yeah, fine.” He said vaguely. Frankly, He was not much for Talking with Howard. The abduction had made its Mark. But it was Luxa, and He would literally do almost everything for her if He could determine that it was the right thing to do. Which he could now. However, the uneasiness of the situation tugged on him and he caught himself yearning that Howard would tell Luxa himself why He was acting odd. “No,” he thought. “I’ll just… talk with him later.”

“I throw Ball to bat!” Squealed Boots and flung the red ball at a small, light brown bypassing bat. 

“Boots!” Gregor sighed wearily. “I told you not to lose it.”

The ball flew in an arc from Boots’ hand. It passed over the bat…

...And one of its passengers, a brown nibbler, leaped into the air, extended its paws, and caught the ball in midair. It landed nimbly on the light brown bat. “Did you lose this?”

Gregor recognized the mouse from the meeting. His name was Archimedes if Gregor’s memory served him right.

The nibbler tossed the ball back gracefully. “Here you go.” He settled back beside Nerissa, who was clutching the bat’s fur uncomfortably. She probably hadn’t ridden a bat in ages. 

“Who was that?” Gregor asked inquiringly.

“The bat is Castor. Frankly, I do not like him. He used to treat Ares badly and make fun of him and his loneliness.” Luxa paused.

“The nibbler is Archimedes. He was one of those who believed that the gnawers would do something horrible to the nibblers back when…” she made a hand gesture as to say “you know”. “He was a close friend of Cartesian.” She smiled sadly. 

Andromeda soared over to Them. Gregor noticed that Mareth lay slumped on top of her, snoring lightly. “What’s with Mareth?” he wondered aloud. 

“We had a meeting last night after the first one. Just the highest-ranking soldiers; Ripred, Perdita, etc. Got quite late.” Lapblood yawned. She then looked at Gregor. “How have you been, Overlander?”

“Good,” Gregor said blankly.

“And your sisters?”

“They’re fine.” For some odd reason, he felt stingy for using few words in his sentences. “How’s Flyfur and Sixclaw?”

“Quite fine, actually. Flyfur has a mate now. A gorgeous Black Gnawer called Smasher.” Lapblood laughed nervously. She leaned closer. “It’s not good, all this with Scratchblood. They say that neither He nor his sisters have quite the size of their father. That is not to say that they aren’t big. From what I know, Scratchblood should seemingly be the size of Ripred, while his sisters are slightly smaller. However, they are on the Brink of adulthood, which means that they could grow bigger in the meantime. And they have the cutters…” she yawned.

“But I thought the cutters were only loyal to Their Queen?” He remembered something Ripred once had said. “And every one has such blind loyalty to the queen.”

“Yes, we have no clue how Scratchblood has gotten the cutters on his side.” Lapblood yawned again. 

“Get some sleep, Lapblood!” Shouted Ripred from his bat. “We can’t have you falling asleep on guard.”

“Shut up, Ripred…” she murmured before settling onto Andromeda. The rat curled up in a ball and the bat soared away with its sleeping passengers.

The trip to the Fount took at least twelve hours. Gregor decided He would try to sleep again. He stuffed the red ball back in the bag and sat Boots in his lap. She her arms around him and was soon fast asleep. Gregor felt himself drifting up to sleep…

When He woke up, they were no longer flying. They were in a Small Cave. He lay on a rough, moss-covered stone floor. Someone had wrapped him in one of the blankets from the leather bag and Boots lay beside him. He resolved to letting her sleep and hauled himself up from the makeshift bed. 

Gregor looked around to see if there was anyone else awake and spotted a fire a few yards away. The majority of the quest members were sitting around it. He wrapped the blanket tightly around Boots and made his way there. 

“Where are the guides?” He asked.

“They should be here soon.” Said Morris. Ripred rolled his eyes. Then, suddenly, his nose was in the air along with the other rats. 

“What is it?” Snapped Luxa. 

“Nothing.” Chuckled Ripred. “Just our guides.”

Now the bats’ heads snapped up too. “Oh, no.” Groaned Nike. “Not Them.”

Gregor clicked his tongue to boost his echolocation. Just before his brain could recognize the creatures, two giant fireflies flew through the Cave entrance. 

“Greetings, all! I am He called Photos Glow-Glow… and she is Zap!”


	6. Nyx’s Passage

Howard actually jumped at the sight of the fireflies. In an instant, his hand flew to his sword hilt. “These shiners have deserted us twice previously! How come you trust them as our guides?” 

“We need them, Howard. They have light. They know our route much better than any of us here.” Luxa swallowed. “They brought Gregor back from the Plains of Tartarus.”

Luxa reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he dodged her arm. “No, I am not traveling with them! They will most surely desert again. Come, Nike, let us eliminate these gorging pests before it is too late. We have let us placate previously, yet that is not the case at present.”

To be completely honest, Gregor thought that Howard’s behavior was quite immature. He’d thought that Howard was over the “Photos Glow-Glow and Zap deserted us on the Waterway and sold us to the rats” thing. When they’d met the shiners in Hades Hall, he and Nike had threatened and insulted them, until Luxa had convinced him that they would need them on the quest. True, Gregor wasn’t particularly fond of the fireflies, but he wouldn’t throw threats and insults around him like that. After all, he would’ve bled to death in at the Plain of Tartarus had it not been for the shiners. 

Nevertheless, What happened next was something Gregor had not expected. 

Howard leaped into the air as Nike whisked under him, before rising higher and higher up. When they reached the stone ceiling, Nike made an abrupt turn and plummeted for the shiners. Howard stretched out his arm, sword drawn. 

“Oh, geez.” Was all Gregor managed to squeak out as Nike closed in on Photos Glow-Glow and Zap. He felt sure that, even with his rager instinct, he could not hinder the collision.

Fortunately, someone else could.

“Knock it off!” Snapped Ripred. The rat lashed his long tail at Howard, easily disarming him. He rose onto his hind legs and yanked Nike onto the ground. The pair crashed onto the hard stone floor. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is with those shiners. You just got to endure their presence on the quest.” He rolled his eyes and went to greet the shiners.

Gregor followed him along with the majority of the quest members.

“Greetings, shiners.” Said Lapblood. “I hope not you are offended of Nike the pup’s behavior.” She threw a glare at the two.

“Well, I must say, we had expected a much warmer welcome,” said Zap, sounding a tad offended.

“Much warmer.” Agreed Photos Glow-Glow. “After all, we have most sincerely volunteered as guides for this quest.” 

“Volunteered!” Spat Howard. “How bribed they you to come along? Food? Cake?”

“Quiet!” Snarled Ripred through gritted teeth and pinned him down with his tail.

“Well, there certainly was something about cake.” Photos Glow-Glow glanced hungrily at some bags braced against a stone wall. “Mind you, if we eat before setting out on our journey?”

“You can eat if you wish so.” Said Lapblood patiently. “Everyone, get up! Eat, pack, we’re leaving in half an hour.” 

Gregor made his way to Boots and shook her lightly to rouse her, pulling off her blanket.

She yawned. “I up?” 

“Yep, little girl.” He folded the blanket and put it back in the leather bag. Then he grabbed the other blanket and shoved it in too.

Gregor and Boots made their way back to the fire where Mareth had opened the food bags and was preparing food. He settled down on the floor beside Luxa and let Boots run off to play with Temp. It was quite enjoyable, watching the two play. One would think it odd, maybe even creepy, how a four-year-old and a giant cockroach could get on so well with each other, given the fact they were two entirely different species. 

Maybe it was simply the fact that Boots had been two at the time she’d met Temp that made her so open over for the cockroach. Boots hadn’t been afraid of the insect, unlike Gregor, who’d been awfully anxious for both of them. He felt sure if he and Boots had fallen into the Underland a few years later, they’d been sold as a delicacy to the rats. He could practically see it; Overlander Meat: Kill it yourself. 

“Gregor, you and Boots must eat now,” Luxa said, halting his train of thought. “If you wish to eat, then eat now. You will not get the possibility to dine again for a while.”

Oh, right. The food.

“Boots!” he called out. And suddenly he didn’t know what time of day it was. It was quite difficult keeping track of time down here. Not certain what else to say, He shouted what came to his mind first. “Dinnertime!”

Boots happily scurried over to him. “Gregor!” She squealed and dumped down beside him. 

Mareth handed Gregor a few bread slices and some pieces of dry meat. “We are trying to save the food and the water in case we get trapped without a natural food or water source. And naturally, the shiners will expect us to feed them a royal feast twice a day.” He quickly explained.

Gregor shuddered, remembering how they’d first lost the food, then the water in the Jungle. The hollow feeling in his growling stomach. How the lack of moisture made his mouth turn dry and made his parched lips crack.

“It’s fine.” He replied and snagged the food. He made two sandwiches for him and Boots, and was just about to make Temp one, too, When He remembered something Ripred had once told him on his first visit to the Underland: “A crawler can live a month with no food if it has water.” 

He still felt a bit stingy for not sharing his meal with the insect, though.

When they had eaten, Ripred told them to mount the bats and prepare for departure. Photos Glow-Glow and Zap joined Nerissa and Archimedes on Castor. Gregor snatched the leather bag and climbed on top of Aurora. He hauled Boots up beside him as the bat took off and handed her the red ball. 

“Catch!” She squealed and tossed the ball to Hazard. Soon Temp and that black mouse, Newton, had joined in, too, and now Humans, Crawler and Nibbler were engaged in a game of catch. This was especially difficult for Temp, who couldn’t catch the ball in the same way the others could. He would try to hit the ball with his head, as to send the ball back, but mostly, the ball was too high for him to reach, resulting in him falling on his back and the ball flying off the bat. Gregor felt kind of bad for him. Temp would do anything to please the “Princess”.

Andromeda soared over to them. “Overlander, we must talk.” Mareth didn’t wait for him to answer. “I have meant to converse with you since your arrival.” The soldier leaned closer. “Know you, I do not blame you for your assault on my brother. In times of ire, our temper often gets the better of us.” Mareth avoided his gaze. “It must especially be difficult for a rager.”

“Thank you for your understanding,” said Gregor. Then he realized how formal He sounded. “I mean, it is difficult to . . . Ripred says it’s called an unruly rage when a rager explodes and can’t, like, stop again. He says they’re rare, too. Or something . . .” Now he was getting completely off track. “What I mean is - I’m sorry.” He said as it was the sole thing He could think of.

Seeing his struggle, Mareth decided to change the subject. “My brother may seem odd in his ways. Noticed his accent, have you?”

“What do you mean?”

Noticing his puzzled face, Mareth said, “Have you seen his eyes?”

Gregor glanced over at Josh and Ouranos. At first, he didn’t get What the soldier meant. Then, When Josh brushed away his hair, He caught a glimpse of Them. Those stunning, blue eyes. They were a dazzling shade of blue, a sort of mix between a dark blue and the violet eye color that most Underlanders had. There could only be one reason they looked like that.

“He’s a Halflander, isn’t He?” Gregor blurted.

Mareth nodded. “That is correct. His mother was an Overlander.”

“Was?” Gregor asked.

Mareth smiled sadly.

Then the truth struck him. The only Living Overlanders in the Underland was him and Boots. “She’s dead.”

Mareth didn’t respond.

“How?”

The soldier took a sharp breath. “Perhaps I should start at the beginning.”

“I was twelve when my own mother died. The supporting pillars of my perception of the world crumbled to dust, and the grief came crashing down onto me. I felt as if I had fallen into quicksand and was sinking deeper as every second passed. Console me could none. Not even my father. I sank deeper in and felt as if none could haul me out again.”

“Then my very closest friend, Andromeda, proposed to bond with me. That lifted my spirit slightly. Slowly, I began to let the joy of life fill me again. One day, Andromeda and I decided to venture out over the Waterway to search for debris. And to this day I swear that I have never forgotten what we Saw. For there she was, soaked in water, with scratches scattered everywhere on her skin, swimming around in the water. We rescued her and brought her to my father. He treated her wounds, and we learned that her name was Ginger.” 

Mareth paused and closed his eyes as if trying to relive the memory. 

“A year passed. Ginger did not return to the Overland. In that year, she had become a motherly figure in my life. Frankly, I was quite startled when she and my father announced their marriage. Then the joy started flooding me. It was as having a mother again. Well, not quite, but it was as if a light had appeared in the darkness. Then Josh came into my life. Suddenly I had a brother to care about. I had a person to share my adventures with. Everything appeared nearly as perfect as it could be.” Mareth sighed. “But no bliss is eternal.”

“Gnawers entered Regalia. Quite few, merely a pack of ten. But ten is enough for total havoc. We could hear the rustling and panic on the street. We drew our swords, father and Ginger and Josh and I. Josh had only just started training. I hoped and prayed for the rats not entering our property. But fate is often cruel. I heard the scraping claws on the stonewall. Then they were in the house.” 

Mareth swallowed hard, and Gregor started feeling a bit hung up.

“There were two. One was bulky and gray-brown and had an eye that seemed to drag down its chin, the other was quite small and dark-brown. But its eyes were hardened by war, and the intelligence in them was close to stunning. The rat was No pup. We maintained eye contact for a few seconds, then the rat leaped. I dodged and lunged after the bulky gnawer. I did not hit it, but that allowed my father to attack. His sword pierced its throat and stuck there as the gnawer yanked Its head back in horror. “D-darkfur!” It rasped out between the heavy rattling breaths. The voice was male, I could hear. And the Small rat whirled around with an aghast expression. “I am sorry, Slumpeye,” I remember it said softly. It was a male, too. Then it turned to my father and hissed, “You have taken the life of my brother, therefore, I will take your son’s.” The soft tone was gone. I must say that I was genuinely surprised by the grief in its voice, for I had learned that gnawers were heartless killers. Nevertheless, the rat leaped at Josh, and I thought that was the end.”

A lone tear escaped the soldier’s eye.

“But as the rat’s claws were inches from Josh, Ginger leaped into her son a thrust him onto the floor. That was when Darkfur’s body made contact with her and they collided with the stonewall. I could not see what happened. I knew only that Ginger had hit Darkfur’s head, for a gash was opened on his brow, and blood gushed out. Time was a blur, and suddenly, two soldiers were in the house. At the sight of them, Darkfur moved away from Ginger and ran out onto the street. And he managed to escape out of the city, I later learned. For a moment there, I thought everything would be alright.”

Mareth’s eyes turned bleak.

“I was wrong. When Ginger and Darkfur crashed into the wall, Ginger hit her head. There was a gash. We were all gathered around her as she expired, even the soldiers stayed. That broke me. Ginger, who had been like a mother to me. Ginger, who I had found swimming in the Waterway. was dead. Ginger, who had chosen a life with us in Regalia instead of returning to the Overland where she belong, was dead. Father was devastated. But Josh was the most shaken by it. He cried endlessly, and while Ginger took her last breath, He swore that Darkfur would pay with his life. That was bitter words from a six-year-old. From that day he was never the same. He became reserved and introverted. He would spend the days alone in his room, or with his friend, Ouranos. Josh was no more the sweet young boy I knew. But I, I understood that day, that the gnawers were not as they told us. Though, As the years passed, I started forgetting that. Then you came. You changed my view on the rats. And look at where we are now. Rat and human living side by side. But it appears as if not all are satisfied with this result. . .”

Mareth didn’t say more. 

Gregor was at loss for words. He was quite startled of Mareth’s story. He’d had no idea of the pain the soldier must’ve gone through. No wonder Josh was so - Gregor didn’t even know what to call it. “I’m sorry.” He said. “I’m, like, really, really sorry for you guys.”

“Need you not pity me, Overlander. You have lost much, too.” Mareth said. “Come, Andromeda, I must talk to Ripred.” 

Gregor resolved to watch Boots play. After about an hour, they landed on a natural stone ledge. They were quickly hustled off the bats as the other quest members started unloading them. “Are we taking a rest again?” Gregor asked puzzled. Perhaps he’d fallen asleep while they’d flown and hadn’t noticed that several hours had passed?

“No, Gregor, I have been told that we cannot fly on this part of the journey.” Said Luxa, and Gregor realized how little time he’d spent with her on this visit. He felt guilty for that, for some reason. Then again, He hadn’t had much time since he came down here again. What was it she’d said again? That they couldn’t fly at this part of the journey? Gregor hoped it wasn’t one of those six feet tall tunnels where the bats would need to walk on their delicate bat feet instead of flying.

“How come that? Isn’t there enough space for the bats?” He asked.

“See for yourself.” Said Ripred and beckoned him towards a dark crevice about fifteen yards from the edge of the ledge. It was maybe five feet wide and about eight feet tall. When Gregor peered into it, his echolocation told him that a narrow path leads from the entrance and out into nothingness. 

“We’re going in there?” Gregor asked. The prospect of going into the cramped space made him feel slightly claustrophobic.

“Yep.” Ripred wobbled over to him and whispered. “I didn’t tell the bats. We couldn’t risk losing our transport because of a confined space.”

Gregor wondered if Ripred actually sympathized with the bats and therefore didn’t tell them about the narrow passage. Ripred seemed to read his thoughts, though.

“Now, don’t you think I’m getting bland here. I am merely securing our transport.” Ripred moved away a bit and Gregor followed.

“Everybody!” he barked. “So, you may not recognize the location of this place, but you will most surely acknowledge the name. This,” He gestured towards the crevice, “Is Nyx’s Passage.”

At his words, all the bats seemed suddenly tensed up. The atmosphere became jittery, and Gregor felt slightly uneasy. 

Ripred continued, “Get your stuff, and stay behind those who can see in the darkness.”

“Are we not to bring torches?” Inquired Luxa. She exchanged a quizzical glance with Howard, who simply shrugged.

“No. I can’t have you swinging those around in the tight space. Before you know, you have set my tail on fire.” 

“But . . . how shall we see, then?” Asked Howard.

Ripred rolled his eyes. “You humans with your inability to do anything without the help of your eyes. You should simply learn echolocation like the rest of us.”

Ripred turned around and made his way to the crevice. Just before He entered it, he stopped and said, “Remember, there are many holes in this passage. If you fall, you will indeed most surely lose your life.”

Gregor looked after Boots and saw her on the back of Temp. He smiled. Temp would always protect her.

He began to walk to the crevice when He slipped on something. It was the red ball. He quickly shoved it in his backpack and entered the crevice. 

It was dark. All dark. He clicked a few times with his tongue as to boost his echolocation and immediately understood what Ripred meant with “holes”. They were everywhere in the stone floor. Some small, others as big as those manholes. He shuddered. He’d better watch where he walked. 

With slow, cautious steps he started walking. Ripred trotted off in front of him, his tail slashing against the floor, making rough thuds. Gregor could hear the others entering from behind as he made his way through the tunnel.

He sniffed. Erg. This passage reeked. 

His tongue clicked rapidly, and the images appearing in his brain were quite calming. Actually, he felt a bit like he was doing an obstacle course; One of those were you had to jump from different platforms and avoid touching the ground. 

Gregor was almost at the end of the passage when it happened. Somewhere behind him, there was a crumbling sound followed by a shrilly,   
ear-splitting scream.

Waves of terror washed over him and enveloped his heart in an icy pocket of dread. Someone had fallen.

“Boots!” He cried. What if she’d — she’d —

His thoughts were disturbed by another outcry. “Gregor! Hazard fall!”

It was Boots. “Okay,” he told himself. “If that was Boots she mustn’t have fell. But if she didn’t, who - ”

Then Boots’s words sunk in. His legs suddenly felt slightly numb, but He shook it off and started running back the tunnel. In his hurry, he almost stepped into a hole, only to be saved by a blow by Ripred’s tail.

“Careful!” The rat snarled. “Walk with caution. Do not, and I repeat, do not run.”

Gregor followed his instructions and carefully made his way down the tunnel. 

The majority of the quest members were gathered around a hole in the stone floor. Luxa was on her knees at the side of it.

“What happened?” Said Gregor, not sure what else to say.

“He fell.” Rasped Howard. “He stepped wrongly. The floor was not stable.”

Gregor started feeling a bit queasy. “Is there . . . a way, he could’ve . . .?”

“There may be.” Said, Nike. “He lay on a stone ridge fifteen feet down. Perhaps he has survived the fall, for I am quite sure he lies on a sort of . . . Remains . . .” 

Ripred wrinkled his muzzle. “Rotten flesh. If we get him out of there, he’ll reek of dead nibbler for the rest of the journey.”

“If we are to get him out, we’ll need a plan,” said Josh, who’d been all quiet on the rest of the quest. 

“Perhaps we could haul him out?” Suggested a huge, light brown bat, who Gregor was quite sure Ripred had called Pollux.

“We have got two ropes.” Said Howard and pulled out two long pieces of rope from a bag on Nike’s neck. “Nike, is it possible to send someone down to retrieve Hazard?”

Nike shook her head uncertainly. “I do not think so, Howard. It will become too narrow for any of us, and we will risk getting stuck. Except . . .” 

And suddenly, everybody’s eyes were resting on Boots.

“What?” said Gregor confused. Then it struck him. The hole was too small for anyone except . . .

“No!” exclaimed Gregor. “She’s not going down there. It’s too dangerous and — and — .”

“Gregor!” Said Luxa. “Hazard may be Alive! This is the sole way he can be rescued.” She looked at him, her eyes filled with pain. “I beg you, Gregor.”

Gregor felt his defiance slowly slipping away. “Okay.” He reluctantly agreed. “But only if Boots wants to do it.”

He called Boots over to him. “Hey, little girl.” He said, struggling to keep the anxiety from his voice. “Okay, so, you know, Hazard fell. And, well, we can’t get him up without your help. That hole’s to small for us. We’ll get stuck. But not you. You’ve got the perfect size.” He rubbed an eyebrow. “It’s going to be dangerous. But Boots, you can save him.

Boots cocked her head. “Me?”

“Yep, Boots. You wanna help?”

“Ye-es!” she said solemnly and saluted like she’d seen in those children’s cartoons she’d watch. 

Howard made his way to them. “Hello, Boots.” He said. He began tying a rope around her. When he was done he gave her the end of another rope and instructed her what to do with it. The plan was to sink her down the hole so she could secure the rope on Hazard. Then they’d pull first her, then Hazard out.

Howard was halfway through his lecture when Gregor realized it would not work.

“It won’t work.” He declared. “I mean, Boots can only tie a basic knot, and It’s not going to be strong enough.” Then a thought struck him. He pulled out that roll of duct tape from the leather bag. “Take this. When you’ve tied the knot, put this around.” He said blankly.

Eventually, they all got ready to start the rescue attempt. Gregor found one of the flashlights from his bag and taped it onto Boots’s arm. “Be safe, okay little girl?”

“Don’t worry, Gregor. I be safe.” She said as they lowered her into the hole.

The hole seemed to close in deeper down. When Gregor clicked his tongue, he could “see” Boots being lowered deeper into it. He realized he was holding his breath and closed his eyes. For the next few minutes, he merely stood, rocking back and forth, hands dangling by his side.  
First, when they hauled Boots up again he opened his eyes.

She immediately ran to Gregor. “Gregor! Hazard’s hurt! He moans. He’s got a big - big graze. Much blood. Ick!” 

The others had begun pulling Hazard out cautiously. That small, light brown bat, Castor, had stuck his head into the hole. “It looks not good. He has badly bruised his head.”

Gregor helped pulling Hazard out the last bit. He looked terrible. One whole quarter of his face was covered in blood, and he had several grazes else were, too. 

Howard checked on his vitals. “He breathes.” He exclaimed after a few moments, and a faint smile made its way onto his face. The mood seemed to change suddenly. People began laughing. Everyone was that relieved that Hazard was alive. 

“Hey, Boots,” said Gregor with a broad smile. “We couldn’t have done it without you. You’ve saved him.”


	7. Battle

As soon as his foot brushed the safe ground, Gregor felt waves of relief washing over him. They were out of Nyx’s Passage!

He took a few steps, then plunked straight down onto the stone floor. For some reason, he still had that huge smile plastered on his face. 

Boots padded over to him. “Gregor, Hazard’s hurt. He needs a bandidge.”

Howard came out of the tunnel, closely followed by Nike who had Hazard on her back. He immediately snagged a bag from the bat’s neck and lifted Hazard down from her. 

“Boots, why don’t you go play with Temp,” said Gregor. He didn’t want her to look at Hazard

He got to his feet and staggered over to Howard who was on his knees beside Hazard. “Anything I can help with?” 

Howard wiped his brow. “I will need water to clean his wound.”

“I’ll get some,” Gregor said. He spotted some water bags draped over Pollux’s neck and went to get them.

“Hey. You mind if I take some water? Howard needs it for Hazard’s wound.” he asked, trying to sound polite. 

Pollux lowered his neck. “Here, Overlander.” 

“Thanks.” Gregor snatched the bag and made his Way back to Howard. 

He passed Howard the Waterbag. “Here you go.” 

He looked around. They were in a cone-shaped cavern with a few tunnels leading out. Behind him was the entrance to Nyx’s Passage. He shuddered. He was never, ever going back there. Never.

Ripred announced that they were staying here for the next few hours. Morris made a fire and started preparing food. Everyone except Howard, Nike and Hazard gathered around it. Gregor wasn’t really hungry, so He gave his food to Boots, who already had devoured her cheese sandwich. 

“We are not getting enough food,” whined Photos Glow-Glow. “It is only of an amicable deed we are staying.”

Gregor rolled his eyes. Clearly, the fireflies received a lot more food than the rest of the party. 

Lapblood said, “This stop was not intended, but you might as well get some rest before we proceed to Escevanville.”

“What’s Escevanville?” asked Gregor. 

“It is a small village,” explained Luxa. “We Will Pick up more supplies there.”

Howard came over to them. “Hazard has regained consciousness. I have stitched up his wound.” 

Luxa made an abrupt jump and scurried over to the place were Hazard lay. Gregor realized she’d kept her cool since Hazard’s incident. That genuinely surprised him. When Hazard got injured in the Swag, she’d basically freaked out.

He shrugged and made his Way to Hazard as Well. The boy lay on the stone floor with his head in Luxa’s lap a few yards from the fire. Gregor dumped Down Beside Them. “Hey, Hazard. You okay?” He felt as if an invisible hand had smacked him on the forehead. How could you be okay if you’d just fallen twelve feet down a hole, sure this would be your certain death? He corrected himself, “I mean, do you, like, feel alright?”

Hazard smiled faintly. “My head hurts. But I’m at least out of that hole.”

Howard sat down beside him, frowning. “It is a miracle that you are alive, Hazard. Had you not landed on the remains, you would most certainly have lost your light.”

“It’s weird,” said Hazard. “When I fell, it was like something . . . Something swooped under me, and pushed me onto the rotting bodies.” 

“How did you know it was rotting bodies?” interrupted Gregor. 

“They smelled,” said Hazard. “But it was like something pushed me onto Them. Something soft. I hit my head on a rock. I can’t remember more.”

“That sounds quite strange,” said Howard.

Gregor decided to give Howard and Luxa some alone time with Their Cousin. He made his way back to the fire. The others were in a surprisingly merry mood, and people were telling stories. After some time, Howard and Luxa came back too, and Howard said, “We must take watches.”

“Why?” said Castor, chewing on a mouthful of fish. “No creature has come here in an eternity.”

“Hazard shall be watched. He most surely has a concussion.” Howard shook his head and looked at Hazard. “Hazard you certainly are an expert When it comes to injuring your head.”

Slowly, people started leaving the fire to rest. Gregor volunteered to take the first watch. He didn’t want people to rouse him in the middle of the night. If it even was night. How long was it since He’d come down here? Two days? Three? Man, his mom must be really mad at him now. She’d tried and tried to keep him from the Underland, and here He was, entangled in yet another prophecy. 

He grabbed a blanket from his bag and called Boots over. Then He tucked her in and sat Down beside Hazard. She pleaded for a bedtime story, and Gregor made up a short story about Boots and the cockroach. She was asleep in minutes. 

He tapped his fingers restlessly on the stone floor. He wanted to get up and do something. Maybe it had been a mistake to take the First watch.

He heard a thud beside him and looked up to see Luxa sitting by his side. She did not say anything, merely sat there in Silence.

After several minutes of quietness, Gregor spoke up, “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“I cannot seem to fall asleep.” Luxa shook her head. 

“Howard’s right. I mean, Hazard was really lucky he landed on those . . . Things.” Gregor said.

“What Think you He meant with something . . . Swooped under him?” asked Luxa with a thoughtful stare.

Gregor shrugged. “Maybe there’s a current Down there?”

“Perhaps,” said Luxa.

They sat a few minutes in silence.

“You know, this sort of reminds me of our mission to find the mice,” Gregor said. It did, too. Hazard had also been injured then, and they’d both been watching him.

“Yes, but of those who were with us then, are two no more among us.” Luxa’s face went somber.

She meant Thalia, the young, cheerful bat who’d died When the huge volcano called the “Queen” erupted. And Ares. Gregor felt an icy feeling of guilt engulf him. He hadn’t even thought of Ares on the Quest. 

And suddenly, it happened. It was as if someone had cut his legs over on the middle and he fell onto the floor. His throat felt abnormally numb, and his breathing became ragged and unstable. A black fog coming from seemingly nowhere wrapped around his eyes, and the images began. 

He was on a bat, whizzing through the air with an insanely rapid speed. They swooped into a tunnel, and suddenly, he was in a sick cloud of ash, the explosion ringing for his ears. He couldn’t breathe, could not see, couldn't do a thing. The sensation of falling hit him and the scene change as his consciousness began slipping. 

Thalia lay stiff on the floor, enveloped in dust and ash, and Hazard’s tears spilled on her face. Gregor felt a sickening, queasy feeling, and now it was Ares, not Thalia, who lay on the floor, smeared in murky blood. “It’s my fault,” it churned in his head as He Saw himself press his face against the bat’s gushing wound. His bond’s Claw was hot and sticky due to the blood. Ares? Ares? Don’t go, Ares, okay? Don’t.

Then he was back, huddled on the floor, soaked in sweat, heart pounding. The sense of terror clutched his heart with clammy fingers. He realized He was clasping Luxa’s hand as were it a lifeline. Her face had frozen in an aghast expression, simply staring at him. Gregor wanted so badly to say something to cheer her up, to tell her that He was alright, but that wouldn’t be true. He didn’t want to Lie to her, nor could He in his current State. He felt horrible.

Trembling, He tried to relax and let go of Luxa’s hand. “You better go to sleep now.” He Got out as He struggled to his feet. Luxa caught his arm. “I Will take your watch. I cannot sleep, anyway. You Will go to sleep. That is an order.” 

Gratefully, Gregor grabbed Boots and moved a bit away from Luxa and Hazard. He’d barely found a blanket before he went out like a light.

Gregor woke to Ripred’s voice barking out orders. He Got up and saw that everyone was Mounting the bats. He hustled to Shove the blanket in his bag and stumbled onto Aurora. The bat took off rapidly, and soon they were whizzing in and out of tunnels, quickly leaving the cone-shaped Cave behind Them. 

“Where are we going?” Gregor asked. 

“Escevanville.” said Luxa shortly. 

“What’s Escevan?” Gregor corrected himself, “Who’s Escevan?”

“He was the loyal friend and servant of Bartholomew of Sandwich,” replied Luxa.

Gregor wondered How one could be your friend and servant at the same time. Maybe it was different at Sandwich’s time. But Because He really hated Sandwich, a part of him couldn’t help thinking that perhaps Sandwich had simply brainwashed that Escevan-guy. 

Luxa interrupted his train of thought, “Raimon Escevan was my ancestor, or at least that is what Ripred says. I do not know if I shall believe him or not.”

Gregor closed his eyes as they soared through the tunnels. It felt real good, flying on a bat again. He imagined himself on the back of Ares, swooping through tunnels, training in the arena, doing all kinds of stuff together. Wait! What if that Strange thing that happened When He’s last thought of the bat happened again? Would He simply collapse on top of Aurora?

“No,” he told himself and shook the thought of him.

After about an hour they landed outside a tunnel entrance. For a second, Gregor dreaded it was another narrow crevice, like Nyx’s passage, but his echolocation soon told him it was merely a short passage leading to a bigger cave. Eye Rolling at his own stupidity He stepped of Aurora and onto the rough stone floor.

“How can it be we land here, Ripred? It will slow us Down.” Complained Castor. 

Ripred glared menacingly at him. “It’s me, and only me, who determines what will slow us down, and what will not. “We will pay my sister, Sleekpaw, a brief visit before we proceed to Escevanville.” 

The party followed him into the tunnel. And sure enough, it opened up into a rather spacious cave-like Gregor’s echolocation had told him. 

For the first time in his life, Gregor got a good look at an actual rat nest. True, he’d been in Ripred’s nest before if He was not mistaken, but He hadn’t really been paid attention to his surroundings, then. He also remembered his dad showing him a nest, but that was made by some of the small rats. This thing was quite different.

The cave was stuffed with all kinds of junk and things.   
Filthy bones were neatly piled up against a wall, and various other stuff lay clumped together elsewhere as well. There were rocks and crystals, half-spoiled meat, several pieces of something that might be some kind of plants, and deformed chunks of metal that perhaps had been swords once, but unrecognizable now after years of gnawing. Gregor even thought he saw what could’ve been an old, dirty car tire.

There was a rushing stream by a wall, and he could make out tiny fish swimming through. A bunch of stuff was piled up in the middle of the cave, and on it lay a gray, slightly silvery, scruffy, snoozing rat.

Ripred gave a scowl and made his way to the sleeping rat. He latched his claw onto it and shook it roughly. The rat’s eyes flew open. It yowled silently as tiny drops of blood dribbled out from under its fur.

“Twirltail!” snapped Ripred, “Where is my sister?”

The rat looked at him with weary eyes. “Scratchblood’s troops have attacked Escevanville. Sleekpaw is there. She’ll be fighting, I guess.”  
It was a male, Gregor could hear.

“And you could not?” Ripred grimaced.

“I have broken my leg, I can’t walk properly,” said Twirltail.

“Great.” murmured Ripred. 

“Are we still going to that Escevan-place?” asked Gregor. He wasn’t sure if he would want to go there if there were a battle going on. 

“Yes.” Said Ripred. He turned around. “Nerissa, Newton, Temp, Hazard, Photos Glow-Glow, Zap, and Boots stay here with my sister's sorry excuse of a mate, Twirltail. We others, we go to Escevanville.”

Then suddenly, everybody’s eyes rested on that mole representative who’d Gone with Them. Gregor realized they weren’t sure if he would fight with them. His mind flashed back to Hamnet in the Jungle. The man had told.  
him how many creatures would prefer not to fight.

“I will fight.” Was the giant mole’s only words.

Gregor gave Boots a brief hug before she scurried off with Temp. He yelled a quick “See you soon!” as she ran off to play. Surprisingly, she stopped in her steps and looked at him. “You stay safe, Gregor? Promise?” 

Gregor swallowed. “I promise.” He choked out.

“See you soon!” said Boots.

He stepped onto Aurora, and, as the bat swept out of the cake, he felt slightly afraid he wouldn’t return. 

No. He would not allow himself to die. He’d been in lots of battles, and yet He was still alive. To his surprise he caught a slight smile creeping onto his face at the prospect of going into battle. He brushed his hand over his mouth, as to wipe the grin off. That only earned him a taunting grin from Ripred.

Gregor ignored the rat. 

The trip to Escevanville only took a good ten minutes. Gregor’s ears immediately picked up the characteristic mix of screaming, sword slashing and claws on the stone walls that accompanied the battle. As they neared, he got a close look at the ravaged village. The tiny settlement was illuminated by dozens of blazing torches, and blood and bodies covered the streets. The houses were nearly concealed by spiderwebs, only a few chunks of stone were exposed. He could see rats, humans, bats, and, surprisingly, spiders, biting, snapping, slashing, and clawing viciously at their adversaries. 

Two big dark-gray rats stood out. Gregor figured they were the ones leading the attack on Escevanville, the generals or something. One of them was clearly the better at fighting. It whisked through the streets, clawing brutally at everyone and everything while slashing its tail against adversaries. No one appeared to be able to get a good hit in on it. It was almost like watching -

“Clawstorm,” said Ripred, interrupting his train of thought. “So Cleaver spoke true, after all.” 

“What do you mean?” asked Gregor. 

“Do you remember after the war when all you morons thought I was dead? That I’d been eaten by the mites?” said Ripred, “Perhaps you will recognize the fact that I hid under Cleaver to save my sorry hide from those flesh-eating critters, then. What you do not know, is that the wretch managed to get a few words out before he was devoured. Though it might have been a sort of dull-witted last resort,” Ripred rolled his eyes, “Cleaver told me his pup, Clawstorm, was a rager. Of course, I didn’t believe him, I thought all his pups died back in the garden, that he had lost his mind. Now I know he spoke true.” 

Gregor felt a slight sense of terror wash over him. Another rager? Oh, no.

“But,” added Ripred. “I don’t think Clawstorm herself knows she’s a rager.”

Gregor could not really see how that would help. 

Ripred lifted his paw to halt the others. “Okay,” he said, “Josh, Ouranos, Lapblood and Castor defends the west side. Howard, Nike, Sixclaw and Archimedes takes east. Morris, Pollux, Mareth, Andromeda, Flyfur, you go to the south side. I’ll take north with Travisjakadash, Aurora, Luxa, and the warrior.”

They quickly got reorganized, so everyone was in their assigned teams. Gregor looked down at Ripred and Travisjakadash, who ran under him and Luxa on Aurora. In no time they’d reached the village and Aurora dropped him of on some sort of town square.

Gregor looked around and saw Ripred a few yards in front of him. 

“Three-point arc!” shouted the rat. “Travisjakadash on my right, Gregor on my left.” 

Gregor ran to the left and positioned himself some yards behind Ripred. Travisjakadash did the same to the right.

He could feel the rager sensation buzzing in him as his vision divided into separate pieces. His sword arm started swinging as a brown rat lunged at him. The sword automatically dug into the foreleg of the rat, sending it to the floor with blood gushing from the lethal wound. Gregor quickly spun around as his echolocation picked up something from behind. A silver-haired Underlander had attempted to jump him from behind but didn’t get that far before Gregor had locked his sword against the Underlander’s, eventually sending him tumbling to the ground.

It soon turned out that a three-point arc wasn’t the ideal formation for a battle like this. Gregor nearly got stabbed by a human on a bat soaring in from behind, while he was distracted by a particularly obnoxious bright gray rat. Fortunately, Travisjakadash came to his help by yanking the bat down and squashing it and its passenger like flies. At this point, Ripred shouted out, “Break formation!”, ran to the middle of the square and launched his spinning attack. 

Gregor looked around and spotted two kids, likely brother and sister, huddled under a broken wagon. The sister was trying to comfort her crying brother, shushing on him to keep them hidden. Gregor immediately thought of Boots and dashed to the wagon. A rat leaped at him and managed to get a claw to his forehead, but he swiftly slashed it away. Fresh drops of blood dribbled down his face. The claw had only just brushed him, but it had caught one of his stitches, which he had completely forgotten about. 

He shook the pain of him and threw himself towards the wagon. Gently, he shoved the boy up into his arms and grabbed the hand of the girl. He nearly yelled “Ares!”, before he remembered. Determined not to get one of those crazy flashbacks, he shouted for Aurora. The golden bat plummeted towards him, and he quickly handed over the kids to Luxa. He saw their open-mouthed faces as Aurora coasted away. 

Gregor let a tiny smile form. You know, it was pretty cool to be the warrior, after all.

The smile was soon washed up his face, though, as a man stuck in a spiderweb was sliced open by an enemy Underlander. Gregor turned away as the intestines poured out of the stomach. 

A rat ran up on the side of Ripred. Gregor thought it was an enemy, but when he saw the smile creep onto Ripred’s otherwise grim face, he knew that was not the case. “Sleekpaw!” he exclaimed. “How funny, the way we meet. I still cannot believe how that moron you call your mate has managed to break his leg.”

If the comment annoyed her, Sleekpaw ignored it.

Then, suddenly, Gregor had a gut feeling that something was about to happen, and whirled around to see a rat leaping at Aurora. In distress, he sped across the square and made an impressive jump up into the air. He swung his heavy sword wildly and severed the rat’s ear. The rat yelped and crashed into the stone floor. Gregor landed on the ground and found himself facing a livid rat with eyes like a raging fire. 

“Clawstorm.” thought Gregor. 

Clawstorm lunged at him. He threw himself out of the way, barely escaping her whirling claws. The rat slashed her tail at his chest, but his sword blocked it. Gregor tumbled a few steps backward, before attempting to bang his sword into Clawstorm’s snout. She sprang away, and Gregor realized the commotion on the square had faded remarkably. People were gawking at him and Clawstorm, eager to see what the outcome of the battle would be. He supposed they’d never seen a real fight between two ragers before.

“Okay,” he shouted, “Rager vs Rager, then!”

He lunged at Clawstorm while she was distracted by his outcry and managed to cut a small gash on her right ear. Taken aback by his attack, she hopped backward and yowled. Her eyes became even more enraging, and she galloped towards him. 

Gregor swung his sword, but the rat sidestepped, and her tail smacked his ribs. It hurt awfully, and he flew back, skidding onto the floor. He soon was back on his feet, and while he parried a blow from Clawstorm, he couldn’t help thinking it would be impossible to win the battle. 

No. Never give up. Wasn’t that what they told you in those childish cartoons Boots watched?

Gregor felt a burst of energy surge through him, and he fought with a viciousness he didn’t think he’d ever fought with before. He stabbed and jabbed, lunged and leaped at the lethal rat before him. 

Then, Clawstorm sprang towards him, claws whirling, lips curled back. In desperation, he blocked with his sword, but he had forgotten her tail which landed a blow on his head. His vision fogged, and he shook his head fiercely. He couldn’t pass out now. 

The frustration of not being able to get a good strike at Clawstorm began overwhelming him, and the rage slowly took control of his body. He swung his sword furiously at the rat, but where his sword was there also was a claw or a tail to parry his attack. Sometimes Clawstorm would simply evade his strike entirely. Gregor felt distantly content that neither Clawstorm could get a hit in on him, though. 

As he barely evaded a blow from Clawstorm’s tail, Gregor realized that this was not the way to beat the mortally dangerous rat. It struck him that perhaps Ripred could help, but if Ripred had intended to help, why hadn’t he done so? Maybe this was some sort of sick test all set up by the scarred rat?

He didn’t get to think more of it as he felt a claw scrape over his calf. Terrified he rammed his sword into Clawstorm’s paw and hopped backward. Gregor felt the hot blood run down his leg.

“Okay,” he thought, struggling to pull himself out of that trance his rage had put him in, “I need a plan.”

Maybe he could make some sort of trap. But there was nothing there to help him. There were only ravaged stone houses, and wagons, and spider webs - wait, spiderwebs! He remembered when he’d been stuck in a giant neck on his first visit to the Underland.

A plan started to form in his head. 

Evading Clawstorm’s snapping teeth, Gregor spun around and broke into a rapid sprint. He spotted a web at the far end of the square. A few barrels lay in front of it. He smiled on the inside. Now, he’d simply need to lure Clawstorm -

Gregor whirled around to see Clawstorm flying towards him. He lifted his sword to parry her slashing tail but suddenly felt a pain on his left arm as Clawstorm’s claw cut down the soft tissue. Taken aback by her attack, he pulled his arm away and jabbed at her snout. She yelped in pain.

Slowly, Gregor started to move backward. He fought viciously against Clawstorm, and she started spitting odd rat curses and swears at him. She also taunted him, but as much as it got on his nerves, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword ferociously at the gray rat.

Then, as he neared the spiderweb, he turned around and broke off into a sprint, making his way there. He started up the barrels, kicking at them before he leaped over the sticky web.

As he landed on the stone floor, he spun around just in time to see Clawstorm tumble right into the web. 

Gregor felt his lips curl into a malicious smile that surprised even himself.

Then, suddenly, as if someone had pressed on a start button, everyone was fighting again. Gregor was soon surrounded by adversaries, and he swung his sword wildly at them. 

There was a sound like when you tear a sticking plaster off, but much louder, and Gregor spotted Clawstorm, covered in web, dragging her body towards him. He ran, and she followed.

Gregor realized that the web slowed her movements, and he lunged at her. He raised his sword to plunge it into her. 

A blow caught his ankles, and as in slow-motion, he fell to the floor. As he fell, he saw a rat on the floor with a severed ear grinning maliciously. 

Suddenly, Gregor felt something heavy fall onto him and he realized a rat’s corpse had landed on him. Not the one with the severed ear, it was already on the floor. 

He struggled to breathe under the weight, but he couldn’t move even the slightest. “Help!” he tried to call, but he could not squeak out a thing. Gregor felt his energy slipping away. He could hear the commotion, but his eyes were covered by fur. He felt quite sure he didn’t have any mortal injuries but still. What if he died of blood loss before someone came to rescue him? Maybe this would be the day he was beaten, the day he would join Ares in death.

No. He’d promised Boots to stay safe, he couldn’t allow himself to die now.  
But what could he do? He’d need a miracle to get out of here.

And that’s when the miracle happened. Gregor felt something pull him out from under the corpse, and suddenly, he was on the back of something furry. Perhaps Ripred had come to save him?

He started to drift in and out of consciousness. And then, all of a sudden, he found himself staring into the eyes of a bright yellow rat.

“Hello.” It said in a male voice. “I am Sulphur.”


	8. The Yellow Rat

Gregor bolted upright. “Where are the others?” he screeched, flapping his arms wildly. The bright yellow rat took a few steps back. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you.”

But Gregor could simply not process the words. He needed to fight. The rager sensation roared through him, and he flung himself at the rat. Was this an unruly rage, he wondered as his arms wrapped around the fuzzy body.

Something latched onto his back, yanking him off the rat. He felt like a fish on a line as it reeled him in. The image of queen Wevox pulling Luxa toward her venomous fangs snapped into his mind. A sense of terror hit him. What if that yellow rat simply gathered slain soldiers from the battlefield so some spinners could kill and drink them? Gregor squirmed and got a hand to his sword-hilt. 

That’s when he spotted two Underlanders. They were practically rolling around on the floor while grinning. Not a vicious laugh, more like how Ripred would laugh while humiliating Gregor. 

One of the Underlanders struggled onto his back and choked out a “Set the oh mighty warrior down, Lervox.” The laughter clouded the sentence.

Gregor felt a sharp pain as the thing clinging onto his back got torn off. His feet hit the floor, and he had to take a few small hops to keep from tumbling to his knees. He turned and saw a bright blue spider perched in a net in a corner. Gregor shuddered. He still wasn’t comfortable around spiders. He shifted his gaze to the Underlanders.

“Who’re you?” he asked in a slightly strained voice, leaning against a wall. He didn’t like them mocking him like that.

The two Underlanders pulled themselves together and made their way to him. “I am Dalvick.” said the one who’d called for the spider to release him. “And that,” he pointed to the other Underlander, “Is my older brother, Luvan.”

Two bats fluttered over to them. “Meet you Asclepius and Acheloos, bonds of Luvan and I.” 

Dalvick stroked a grayish-brown bat’s velvety fur.

Luvan hopped onto a honey-colored bat. He threw a grin at Gregor. “Dalvick have most certainly screeched, “Asclepius!” at least thirty times. This is my bond, Acheloos.” The honey-colored bat did an impressive double loop.

“Did you guys save me?” asked Gregor. 

“Yeah, we hauled you out of that battlefield,” said the yellow rat, “And my name’s Sulphur.”

Sulphur. “What an odd name for a rat,” thought Gregor. The rat didn’t look entirely full-grown, nor like a pup. But he looked like the type who always had a smile glazed on his face. “Fits good in this weird bunch.” he thought.

“Overlander, if you would lay down. You have several open wounds,” said Dalvick. He gestured toward a sort of bed made of . . . Spidersilk?

“But . . .” started Gregor, “Can you guys, like, get me back to the others?” He was kind of scared the others would not be able to hold back Scratchblood’s forces. What if they thought Gregor was dead?

“To Escevanville?” said Dalvick. He clasped Gregor’s arm as to restrain him from going back to the battle. “You are not going anywhere before your wounds are stitched, pup.”

Luvan cracked up. “Dalvick, now sound you like our old mother.”

Well, he did. Gregor had the impulse to laugh but figured it might be wisest not to. 

“No, I am merely attempting to prevent the Overlander from doing something reckless and worsen his injuries.“ Dalvick glared at his brother.  
“Though they are quite shallow, It would be more prudent to get them stitched up,” said Dalvick, sounding much more grave than when he’d called for Gregor to be released.

Gregor got a feeling that he shouldn’t be here to overhear the argument. “Hey, you were going to fix me up, right?” he said, hoping to break the tense mood. 

“Oh, yes,” said Dalvick. “Come, then I shall see what I can do.”

While Gregor lay on the silk bed, Dalvick came to work at his wounds. 

Suddenly, he became aware of the aching in his body. Dalvick sewed the gashes on his calf and left arm, and about half a dozen other cuts he had not noticed before. He re-stitched the stitches on his forehead. Finally, he examined Gregor’s eyes closely in the light of a torch. “Good,” he said, “No concussion.”

“So, where want you us to take you?” said Luvan.

The bats’s head went up. “Someone is coming,” said Acheloos. 

Now Sulphur had his muzzle in the air, too. 

Gregor drew his sword automatically. If someone had come to attack them, maybe he could fend them off.

Then, his echolocation picked up the intruders, or what you’d call them, too. His face broke into a grin as Ripred came into the cavern. 

“So you’ve been here enjoying yourself while we others were out there fighting?” said the rat.

Aurora flew into the cave. As soon as the golden bat touched down, Luxa hopped of and scurried to Gregor. He could feel her practically pinning him against a wall and she clamped her arms around him. 

Nike coasted in and landed on the floor. Howard froze on her back, glaring daggers at Gregor and Luxa. Ripred poked him with his tail. “Oh, you know you cannot stop them from doing that.”

Luxa let go of Gregor and took a few steps back. 

“What happened back there? After me and Clawstorm fought?” said Gregor, “Did you guys win?” He was kind of curious to know.

“Yes, we were able to make them retreat, after some time with a lot of ups and downs. They’ve dragged their generals with them to their camp, wherever that is. Now I suppose a team of spinners is working on the wounded.” said Ripred, “But guess who showed up as everything was about to go down in flames.”

“Stingers.” said Howard, “Five of them came to Escevanville’s aid.”

“But, Gregor, how did you escape.” interrupted Luxa “I can only recall you falling to the floor and vanishing.” 

Gregor shuddered as he remembered the carcass which had fallen on him. “There was a dead rat who landed on me,” he said. “Then they got me out of Escevanville to here and fixed me up.” He made a gesture toward his rescuers.

Ripred squinted at Luvan and Dalvick. “You,” he said, “I remember you. You caught those pups. In the garden.”

“Yes,” said Dalvick. “I am Dalvick, and that is my brother, Luvan.”

“Hmm,” said Ripred. “Now, let’s not dwell on the past.” He turned to the others. “We must get going. The battle has slowed us.” Gregor realized how weary the old rat’s eyes looked. “Now they know we’re on a quest, Scratchblood’s troops.”

“Are you on a quest?” said Luvan, as if he couldn’t help it. 

“Well, it used to be a secret matter, but I guess it ain’t that hush-hush anymore after the battle,” said Ripred, “But, yes, we are on a quest to uncover Scratchblood’s troops’ hiding place.”

“Eh.” said Sulphur. “Is it rude to ask if we could . . . You know, perhaps we might . . . I mean, it’s been very long since our last adventure. You agree with me, right Luvan?” 

Luvan nodded. “Yes, but we cannot just . . .” he trailed off, “We would need to be approved by the council, I think, to join,” Luvan said, struggling to sound grave, but he was practically bouncing with excitement, too.

Ripred began pacing. “What have you to offer.” 

“Dalvick and I have had medical training before we settled out here,” said Luvan, his voice filled with eagerness. You know, it was quite weird that he was the older brother. “Asclepius and Acheloos are quite agile, and Lervox can spin silk.”

“And the rat?” said Ripred. 

“Sulphur is a very fast gnawer,” said Dalvick. “He can easily keep up with a flier, and can also serve as a ride.” 

“Wait!” said Gregor. “You’re saying they’re coming with us? That they’re joining our quest?” 

Ripred rolled his eyes. “Yes,” he turned to Luvan and Dalvick. “So, it looks like you are joining our merry bunch of quest members.” 

While Ripred filled Luvan, Dalvick, the bats, Sulphur and Lervox in on the quest, Gregor sat with Howard and Luxa as they informed him of what had happened during his brief absence.

Apparently, after he’d been buried under that rat carcass, there had been, as Ripred said, a lot of ups and downs. Then, there’d been a moment where it looked like Scratchblood’s troops would win. That’s when the giant scorpions showed up and defended the village.

“I still cannot believe it,” said Howard. “Of what little knowledge I have of the spinners, I thought they would prefer not to fight.”

Something hit Gregor. “You guys remember when we met the scorpions - stingers - on that quest to find the mice?”

The others nodded simultaneously. 

“Luxa, you told them something like ‘from this day we consider you allies.’” Gregor said.

“Whether we know their reason or not, it was very fortunate for us and the villagers that they came to our aid.” purred Nike, ending the conversation. 

They soon departed from the cave. Gregor climbed on Aurora with Luxa, while everyone else rode on their bonds. Lervox, the spider, came down from her web and perched herself on top of Asclepius. Ripred and Sulphur would run under them.

It soon turned out that what Dalvick had said about Sulphur being a very fast rat was true. Gregor, who’d gotten the impression that Ripred was quite a speedy rat was surprised to see Sulphur surpass him. In fact, he didn’t think he’d ever seen so fast a rat. It struck him that he might have ridden on Sulphur to the cave, but his memories were quite fuzzy.

Actually, he had trouble recalling the battle. But the images soon popped up in his head. And as he watched the battle replay in his head, he realized something. And that something wasn’t exactly very pleasant.

He’d experienced both fear and frustration, which was normal. But the thing that disgusted him was the viciousness and malice he’d fought with. Back then, he hadn’t even thought about it. Now it revolted him. It just wasn’t right.

Gregor’s hand brushed over his sword hilt. He shuddered. That sword had taken the lives of so many, whether human or rat or ant or mole. Well, probably more. He pulled the weapon out of his belt and took in the magnificent blade. Blood still stained the metal from his latest battle. Nothing suggested the sword had ever been broken. 

Anger suddenly flared up in him, enveloping his heart with its flames. Why had the Underlanders fixed his sword? That sword was a curse itself. It gave him some sense of power whenever he swung it. But deep inside Gregor knew it wasn’t the sword which had caused all those horrible death. It was the bearers. Him and Sandwich. Well, that was one thing they had in common. Both had killed a grand amount of creatures. 

Then his mind flashed to his family back in the apartment. Had they sorted things out with his uncle, or was he still livid of Gregor’s attack on his son? Geez, his mom must be furious herself. He hoped she weren’t organizing some sick abduction to bring him home again. 

Man, his family really wouldn’t like him running around down here and killing a bunch of rats. He had that guilty feeling. Even though he’d been dying to go back to the Underland, it still made him feel bad to leave his family again. He knew what hell they went through every time he disappeared on some sick quest or into a war. 

Aurora landed outside Twirltail’s cave. Gregor climbed off her back and hobbled through the tunnel that led to the nest. Here he found the rest of the quest members along with Twirltail and Sleekpaw, all crammed into the cavern. 

Temp pattered over to them, Boots waving from his back. Gregor smiled. 

“Hey, Boots!” he said as he swung her up in his arms. He dropped onto the floor. She was getting quite heavy. He had no clue how Temp could, and would, carry her.

Again, he was grateful for Temp. That cockroach had been a ride, an entertainer, a protector, a babysitter and a loyal friend on all his trips. “Good seeing you too, Temp,” he said. 

“Well, I be, Well,” said Temp.

“Gregor!” said Boots. There was an odd anxiety in her voice. Gregor realized that people might’ve thought he was dead since Ripred had gone looking for him. “You were gone.” 

“Yeah, but now I’m back.” He hugged her. “Now, why don’t you go play with your friends?” he said. 

“Ye-es!” said Boots and scuttled back over the stone floor. 

Gregor made his way to Luxa. She and Ripred was discussing something with a grey rat, whom Gregor recognized as Ripred’s sister, Sleekpaw. As he scanned the rat’s face he discovered something. Where her eye should’ve been, there was just a reddish indentation, which made her look remarkably creepy. He hadn’t seen it when she’d showed up amid the battle, he’d been too absorbed in his rager mode. 

“Hey,” Gregor said. “What are you talking about?”

Ripred turned. “They have knowledge of our quest now.” He raised his voice. “Everybody! We must move quickly. Get packed up and we’ll go.”

An indignant scowl crept onto Photos Glow-Glow’s face. “Why I have not finished my plain meal yet,” he said, chewing on a huge fish, several bones scattered around him.

“Oh, stop whining you foolish glutton,” said Lapblood. “You have had plenty of food, already. Be glad Twirltail was willing to fish for us.”

Gregor noticed a heap of fish braced against a wall.

“Hmmph.” murmured Photos Glow-Glow.

Soon they were on the bats’ again, zipping through various tunnels and caves. Having Asclepius and Acheloos turned out to be a good thing, and the bats carried both fish and passengers Photos Glow-Glow and Zap flew in front of all of them, leading the way. Gregor wasn’t wholly comfortable with that, what if the fireflies were trapping them somewhere?

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“I do not know,” said Luxa.

And he didn’t get an answer before Photos Glow-Glow and Zap started circling a crack in the stonewall. 

“Oh, great.” thought Gregor. “Another narrow thing.”

As Aurora set him off at the opening, he couldn’t help whispering, “Here goes nothing,” before he squeezed through the entrance. 

The crack was, in fact, only five yards long. It opened up into a vast tunnel. Gregor stepped out onto a natural stone ledge and realized he recognized the place. Well, not exactly the ledge, but the tunnel in general. At first, he couldn’t really place it. Then it struck him.

“No way!” he blurted. “It's Hades Hall!”

Howard stepped out from the crevice. “But . . . this cannot be true. It cannot be Hades Hall. There are only two entrances. The Swag, which is blocked, and the Firelands.” he said, frowning in bewilderment.

“Yes, there are just two entrances known by humans. But there are dozens of hidden cracks and passages you do not know of,” said Zap scornfully.

“We will travel through here on this part of the quest,” said Lapblood. 

Gregor climbed back on Aurora and she took off again. He merely sat, he didn’t know what he could do besides sit. Then, as Ouranos whizzed past him, it hit him that maybe he should apologize to Josh for, well, beating the crap out of him. It was not something he liked to do, but he might as well get it out of his system. 

“Hey!” he called. “Hey, Josh!”

Ouranos halted. Josh turned around. Gregor noticed that the older boy’s face was red and swollen. That made him feel even worse of what he’d done. He didn’t even like violence.

“Hey, so, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for beating you up. It wasn’t my intention. I lost my head and I couldn’t stop.” The whole sentence sounded weird and forced. “What I mean is . . . I’m sorry.”

Ouranos flew to him. “No, It’s fine. I get you could not control it,” said Josh. But Gregor could tell he still was mad at him. 

Travisjakadash patted Josh’s shoulder with his enormous paw. Gregor had no clue how Ouranos could lift the mole. Maybe it was because Travisjakadash actually looked quite smaller than the moles he’d seen in the Regalian farmlands, but he couldn’t be sure. Or maybe it was simply Ouranos’s mere strength that made him able to carry Travisjakadash. When he’d first seen the magnificent bat, Gregor had thought he was smaller than Ares. Now he realized that Ouranos was, in fact, bigger than the big black bat. Gregor guessed he’d overlooked it when he had first seen him, his thoughts had been preoccupied with other things. 

He let a sigh escape his lips. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. Ouranos soared away, but Gregor caught the scowl Josh sent him. He gritted his teeth. It was so frustrating that Josh wouldn’t forgive him, but Gregor guessed he wouldn’t have either if it was Josh who’d beat him up. 

“It ain’t easy to forgive someone if they’d battered you half-dead just a few days ago.” came a voice from behind. Gregor turned to see Ripred on Pollux coast in beside Aurora. 

“But I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t control the rager thing. Can’t he understand that?” said Gregor. He was suddenly angry at Josh.

Ripred yawned. “He’s not a rager, and only a rager will understand, you’ve got to accept that. I know you can’t control an unruly rage, but that’s not something everybody will believe. Funny, as a pup I nearly took the life of another pup, Redflesh, because of an unruly rage. Oh, I can clearly recall my poor parents as they argued with Redflesh’s mother about whether I tried to kill that dull-witted moron or not. They didn’t take the unruly rage excuse, either.”

“He does not want to hear your tedious childhood stories, Ripred,” said Luxa. 

Ripred snorted. “I’m the rager, I’m the expert here. And if you would just shut your ears, your majesty. I think me and Gregor needs to have a little conversation, rager to rager.”

“What do you mean?” said Gregor. 

“Oh, I’m sure you have some questions about you and Clawstorm’s battle,” said Ripred.

Well, that was, in fact, true. 

“There’s something I don’t understand.” Gregor started. “It’s that . . . Well, when I fought Clawstorm, it was like we couldn’t get a hit in on one another. I mean, if she was a rager, too, wouldn’t it’d been more difficult to fight. You would’ve thought it’d be more - I don’t know - intense. Yeah, intense. But . . .” Gregor trailed off.

“You need to know this,” Ripred said. “‘Rager’ is a very general term. Ragers are divided into several groups, and there are different - how shall I say this - levels of ragers, if you understand.” He searched Gregor’s face for signs of understanding.

“Uhh,” said Gregor. It didn’t say a thing to him, what Ripred said. 

Ripred shook his head. “How incompetent can you be? Well, let me attempt to simplify it once more. Firstly, there are two types of main ragers. These are determined by species. There are cold-blooded ragers and warm-blooded ragers. Cold-blooded ragers have a bit more speed, but less strength than warm-blooded ragers, while warm-blooded ragers, like me and you, have more strength and less speed. Do you think your big brain can comprehend that?” 

Man, how could that rat get under his skin sometimes. Gregor nodded.

“Okay. Now let’s move on to something a little harder,” said Ripred, earning himself a scowl from Gregor. “Think of it this way: every rager fits onto a kind of scale. At the bottom of this scale, there is a novice rager, and on the top, there is an ultimate rager. That isn’t the whole scale, but I’m not going to say all the titles. I am an ultimate rager, or at least very, very close to.”

Okay, that seemed simple enough. Of course, Ripred was an ultimate rager, basically, no one could beat him in battle. 

“Where am I on that scale, then?” Gregor asked.

“Well, from what I’ve seen, you rank somewhat under me. Clawstorm, she’s a tiny bit under you. That’s why neither of you could really hurt each other badly. Very lucky for you, it wouldn’t be good if Regalia lost their warrior to some imbecile rat, huh?” said Ripred. “And if your mother is a rager, I’d guess she’s something around novice rager. You see, it depends on how much you fight. You can sort of rank up, but it takes time. Some, though, are simply born a certain rank, just as you can be born into royalty as your girlfriend over there.” The scarred rat gestured to Luxa.

“But how come I haven’t known this before?” said Gregor. He’d had no idea how complicated the rager thing actually was.

“I didn’t think you could use it to anything. It’s not as if you get into a fight with another rager every day. And if you want to know more about advanced rager stuff, there’s a book called The Rager’s Handbook in the Regalian library, if you know where that is.” said Ripred. “Oh, well, but I’ve got matters to discuss with other people, so have a nice day!” 

Pollux coasted away from them.

The next two or so hours seemed to move at a snail’s pace. First Gregor watched Boots and her friends play, but that soon turned to him staring at the gray walls of Hades Hall. There was never silent, always a rustle of a wing, or a happy squeak or squeal from the kids, or a conversation going on somewhere in the tunnel. 

Then, all the bats’s heads went up. “What is it?” said Gregor. First, he thought it was one of Scratchblood’s troops. Then he saw the glittering green light in the distance, and his echolocation detected the form of a firefly coming toward them.

“Oh, look,” said Zap. “It is him.”

“Oh, yes,” said Photos Glow-Glow. “So that outcast finally shows himself.”

“Who?” snapped Lapblood. “Who is it?”

The unknown firefly was now maybe thirty yards from them. Boots, who’d apparently grabbed one of the flashlights from his bag, shone it at the insect. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “You‘ve got pretty light.”

“Greetings.” said the firefly. “I am he called Spark.”


	9. Nightmares

Howard groaned. “Not another pesky greedy-gut.”

“Quiet!” snapped Ripred. “I will handle this.”

“Perhaps it is better if I do,” said Luxa. “I am queen after all.” She smirked.

“Well, I wouldn’t call myself king, but I think at least a few rats would call me their leader,” said Ripred.

“Oh, pull yourself together,” said Lapblood. She turned to the firefly who was still approaching them. “Greetings, Spark. May I ask, what makes you stray away from the other shiners? Why are you not with the rest of your species?”

“I am an outcast, ostracized by my kind,” said Spark matter-of-factly.

“For obvious reasons,” mumbled Photos Glow-Glow.

“They shunned me out because I was not haughty and gluttonous like them.” spat Spark. “I am not stuck-up like you, Photos Glow-Glow. Respect is a word which you, nor the others, do not know of, and that is why the entire firefly nation is falling apart now.” The firefly’s rear end pulsed an angry red color. 

“Falling apart?” said Gregor. What was that supposed to mean?

“And you must be the great warrior, savior of Regalia, blah blah blah,” said Spark. “Now, excuse me, I should get on with life, it was nice to meet you.” he spun around and started flying away.

“Well, that was an interesting conversation,” commented Ripred. 

“Idiot!” said Josh to Photos Glow-Glow. “Now he’s gone! Who knows if he will go to Scratchblood’s troops and tell them of our location. Or maybe he could’ve helped us, but you had to ruin it!”

“That was very rude, pup,” said Photos Glow-Glow. “We do not need him. He is but an imbecile outcast, a disgrace to the shiners.”

“Because he is different! Because he isn’t a snob like you!” screamed Josh. Man, he was working himself up. “You and that other shiner, you have been complaining and whining this whole quest! We don’t even need you! Guides!” He snorted. “A team where the half are experienced soldiers does not need some empty-headed bugs to show the way!”

“Josh, calm -” said Ouranos, but Zap cut him off. “And have you yourself contributed to the quest, other than gorging on our well-earned food?” she said. 

“Gorging?! GORGING?!” said Josh, sounding shrill in fury. “I’ve not been gorging! You are the gluttons here!”

“How petulant he is today,” said Photos Glow-Glow. “Have your mother not told you not to be ill-mannered, you ungrateful child? We starve for you to be well-fed.”

And by the look on Josh’s face, the firefly had said something very wrong. Mareth shook his head as if he knew what was coming. Well, he probably did.

“Don’t dare talk about my mother!” roared Josh. “She’s dead! How’d you feel if your mom was dead, huh? Dead, you understand? DEAD! But you HAD to mention her! AND SORRY DOESN’T MEAN A THING!” He unsheathed his sword and raised it over his head. “I’ll kill you, I’LL KILL YOU! Ouranos, come!” But the magnificent bat didn’t move. “I said, come!” repeated Josh. “Get to them!” 

“No,” said Ouranos.

“We’ll kill them!” hollered Josh.

But Ouranos was adamant. 

“YOU - ” said Josh. And then he did something Gregor had never seen an Underlander do. He slapped Ouranos. The bat’s head snapped back like in a movie.

Gregor looked around and took in the horrified faces of not only the humans and bats, but also the rats and mice. Even Temp was clicking agitated at what was unfolding before them. 

But Josh ignored them. His face was twisted in a livid grimace. 

“I’m going to kill you!” he screamed. He continued his rant, but Gregor could only stare as the older boy leaped from his bat, and dove through the air toward Photos Glow-Glow. His sword made contact with Photos Glow-Glow’s wing before Ripred jumped out from Pollux and crashed into him, sending them plummeting toward the hard rock floor.

“Dive!” said Morris, and Pollux shot right after them in a vertical dive. Gregor felt like he was watching an action film, and covered Boots's eyes with his hands. If Pollux didn’t get to them in time, Ripred and Josh would be busted apart on the stone floor. 

He let out a breath of relief as he saw Pollux coming back with both Ripred and Josh on his back, plus Morris.

But as soon as Pollux had flipped into a horizontal position, Josh started shouting again. This time Ripred was the victim of his rage. 

“Why did you do that?” he said. “WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! Don’t ignore me! Why did you do THAT?!”

“Knock it off, kid,” said Ripred calmly.

“I could’ve killed him, I could’ve ended all our trouble with him! BUT YOU RUINED IT! This quest is so messed up! I’m only here to get a chance to kill DARKFUR! To get REVENGE!” Josh shouted. You’re all stupid, I hate you! And - and . . .” his breathing was absurdly fast now.

Nike fluttered over to him. “Calm down, Josh, our you’ll pass out! You are overbreathing!” said Howard. “Breathe through pursed lips, Josh. Do like me.” he pressed his lips together and inhaled through his nose.

Andromeda coasted over to them, too. Mareth touched his brother’s shoulder. “Yes, brother, he is right.”

Still glaring lividly at Ripred, Josh followed Howard’s instructions. Everybody sat in silence as he inhaled and exhaled.

“Sorry, did I provoke this?” came a voice, disturbing the quietness which had fallen over the party. Spark hovered over to them.

“No.” said Lapblood.

“He is fairly bad-tempered, my brother,” said Mareth. “And cannot tolerate people irking him. I must excuse for his behavior.”

Josh scowled at Mareth. 

“Perhaps it is rude to ask . . . But have you any food? I have not eaten for days.” said Spark. And he, in fact, looked quite famished.

“Glutton,” mumbled Howard.

“Indeed we have. We need rest, though. Do you know a good place to settle for some hours before moving on our qu - trip.” corrected Lapblood.

“I do,” said Spark, and quickly led the quest members to a wide stone ridge with a cave opening up behind The bats coasted to the floor, and Gregor climbed of Aurora. Mareth started preparing food, and they all gathered around the fire he’d made. The simple meal didn’t taste of much, but Gregor figured he might not get to eat again for a while. Besides, when had he last had food?. He tried to recollect the last day or two’s events. He’d last eaten when they’d come out of Nyx’s passage, he reasoned with himself.

After they had eaten, Gregor made a bed out of the blankets from his bag and tucked Boots in. She might as well get some sleep before they proceeded with their journey.

“I want a story, Gregor.” Boots said. “A new one.”

“Hmm,” said Gregor. The truth was, he couldn’t really come up with a story right now. He remembered the thick book in his bag. Maybe there was something to entertain Boots in there, some rhyme perhaps. He pulled out book and spotted the title. The Story Book was it called.

“Fitting name.” he murmured. “Hey, Boots. Do you want to hear a story from this book?” he waved the book in front of her. 

“Ye-es,” she said.

“All right.” he flipped through the pages and stopped at a story called Crookaz the Cook. “Okay.” he thought, “That mustn’t be some war story. It’s about a cook, after all.” He began reading.

“Once upon a time, there was a man named Crookaz. He was a fabulous cook and would serve the finest dishes for the royal family. He was deeply admired by both humans and fliers, for the food he made could satisfy both species. Time after time Crookaz would impress the people with his incredible cookery. No one knew who had taught it to him, nor did they wonder.”

Gregor realized everyone still awake had turned their attention at him.

Lapblood smirked. “Oh, I love that story.”

Ripred groaned, something very unlike for him. 

Gregor shrugged and continued. “Then, one day, an Overlander fell. As it is custom here, she was invited to dine in the High Hall with the king and queen. As Crookaz brought the special dish he had prepared for meal - And Crookaz always brought the food himself - he saw the Overlander, Feng, and fell in love with her. Soon they were married and had a daughter, Tai. Tai showed an incredible talent for fighting, and eight years later Crookaz and Feng had another child, Jaques. Jaques turned out to be great at cooking, though he had no interest in following in his father’s footsteps. But tragically, a war broke out when Jaques had just turned thirteen. Tai had left for the Overland to train to become an Overland doctor, and Jaques was unable to fight since he had injured his leg. Therefore, his parents left him with a boy, Tock, raised by the crawlers, who were their son’s caretaker. But Crookaz and Feng, who had become a great at fighting, were obliged to serve in the war.”

Gregor’s eyes narrowed. Why did everything in the Underland have to be about war? But Boots clapped in excitement, and Gregor turned the page reluctantly.

“They were sent out on the battlefield, but could only think of one thing: They had to make it home to Jaques. But as the battle appeared to have turned in the humans’ favor, she emerged from a gloomy tunnel. Boneeater, a vicious gnawer general. And she went straight into the fight, flinging her huge paws at everything which came near. She towered over the other rats, the biggest gnawer ever seen, except the fabled white rat spoken of in the Prophecy of Bane.”

Gregor winced. Images of Ares in the Bane’s claws popped up in his mind, but he continued reading from the leatherbound book. 

“And all of a sudden, Crookaz stood before Boneeater. He staggered back, the dread overwhelming him. Boneeater lashed out at him, but he did not dare to move. Fortunately, Ripred, a gnawer loyal to the humans, came dashing from the side a slashed his tail in Crookaz’s side, sending him flying through the air. And Crookaz got on his feet, ran back and hurled himself at Boneeater, for he would not allow her to kill anymore. His sword sliced into her ear, blood staining her brown coat. But she pinned him down, and bit into his chest, ripping out both bone and flesh.”

Gregor swallowed. That story made him queasy. He looked at Boots, but she didn’t seem much affected by the story’s new brutality. Well, she looked a little serious, though. Gregor guessed she did not really understand the story. 

“Read more!” Boots squeaked in an eager voice.

“Okay,” Gregor said. 

“Ripred, who was also a rager, leaped at Boneeater and pushed her from Crookaz’s chest. His claw cut her throat, but it was too late. By the time the fighting had ceased, Crookaz lay still on the stone floor. And the soldiers gathered around his corpse, somber and silent. Feng, and many others, wept over the loss of Crookaz. Ripred, the ever cynic rat, bent his head and said, “Oh, what a pity he died. He made the best shrimp in cream sauce I ever have tasted. Rest in peace, oh big shrimp in cream sauce god.”

Gregor couldn’t hold back a laugh. Brutal war story or not, that last sentence could make anybody crack a grin. Ripred grumbled. “I hate this story,” he said. And it didn’t make it better than basically everybody else had stifled a laugh.

Boots curled up against his leg. Gregor wasn’t sure if the story had made her any sleepy, but it didn’t take long before she was sound asleep on the makeshift bed.

“What a story,” he whispered. “Why’s everything here about war and killing? Does everything have to be a war story?”

Ripred, still grumpy, said, “Oh, it’s merely how things work down here, you must’ve learned that by now. Every story here is brutal and packed with blood and gore. But that was a particularly bad one you read there. The title is misleading.”

“I bet,” muttered Gregor. “I hope that thing isn’t giving Boots nightmares. Why didn’t stop me? You knew the story, didn’t you?” And all of a sudden, he was mad at Ripred. Mad at everyone. Couldn’t they see this story was clearly not suitable for a four-year-old? He glared at the rest of the party. “Why didn’t any of you?”

Howard looked down. Aurora’s wing rustled in a tense way. Flyfur began pacing, teeth gritted. Overall, the whole party seemed shameful in their own way.

“Go to sleep, Overlander,” said Lapblood in a sharp voice.

Gregor crept down under the blanket to Boots. Sleep came fast, but his dreams were soon invaded by gruesome images from Crookaz the Cook. 

He was on the battlefield with Feng and Crookaz and Ripred and a lot of other rats and humans. He rode on Ares, whose black fur showed no sign he’d ever had the plague. Then, Boneeater stepped out from a gloomy cave and let out a terrifying roar. Except, it wasn’t Boneeater. 

It was the Bane. 

And Gregor watched the scene from Crookaz the Cook replay. Ripred’s sending Crookaz through the air. Crookaz leaping at Boneeater - no, the Bane - and severing his ear. “No! No!” said Gregor, and pressed his palms against his eyes. The scene was terrifying enough told through words. He was not ready to see it in real life. But an invisible force ripped his hands away from his eyes. And he braced himself for what was about to unfold before him. 

The Bane grinned as he opened his big mouth. He tore into Crookaz’s chest . . . and the cook transformed into a certain pale-skinned queen.

“Luxa!” Gregor screamed. “Ares, get over there!”

But Ares did not obey. He tossed Gregor onto the blood-smeared ground and sat on his chest. The bat’s claws made two long scratches in his chest plate.

“I will not slave for you, Overlander.” snarled Ares.

“What?” said Gregor. “What? You’ve got to help me! He’s killing her, he’s killing her, he’s killing her!”

“And it is your fault, Gorger!” said Ares. 

“I’m not a rat! It’s not my fault! I’m not Gorger!” said Gregor, eyes wide in fear. 

Ares dug his claws deeper in his armor. “I should never have saved you. You and Henry, you both deserved death.”

Gregor squirmed under the bat. “No!” 

Ares looked at him. “Look what you did to me,” he said and did no attempt to hide the despise in his voice. He fluttered away from Gregor’s chest, and Gregor noticed the empty spot on his neck where the Bane had torn of the flesh. Gregor turned his head away.

“Look!” snapped Ares, and Gregor forced himself to look at his bond.

A queasy feeling washed over him, and he threw up all over himself. Ares glared daggers at him. “You killed me.”

Gregor retched again, and then Ares was back on his chest. His claws penetrated the armor and reached the flesh. “YOU KILLED ME!”

“N-no!” cried Gregor. “No! I didn’t! It was the Bane!”

A sharp pain in his chest made Gregor jerk and slash his sword at Ares.   
He felt the thick blood pouring out of the wounds, sipping through the holes in his chest plate.

“YOU KILLED ME!” hollered a thousand voices, and Gregor saw Twitchtip emerge from the shadows.

“You left me to be captured by the rats. You let me rot in a cell for the rest of my LIFE!” she said. She was half-invisible like a ghost, and her nose and tail bled. 

A cockroach stepped out behind her. 

“The princess, I saved, the princess,” said Tick. “Gnawer kill me, you let, gnawer kill me.” 

Her head was squashed and crushed, which made Gregor want to retch even more. 

A small bat fluttered over to him. She didn’t say anything, but her once so joyful eyes were full of hatred. She brushed some of all the dust and ash off of her wings, and then she was gone.

“Thalia.” Gregor thought.

And then Cartesian made his way to him and snarled right into his face.

“Why were you not with us to defend the Palace?! What a warrior. Vanishing from a crucial battle like that.”

The mouse’s face was twisted in fury.

“Do not provoke him, Cartesian. He will have his punishment,” said Ares. His voice was an ominous low purr. 

“No!” Gregor said. 

Ares raised his wing. “Have your punishment, traitorous Overlandef!”

And suddenly, all the scars Gregor had ever gotten opened and started spilling blood. 

The Bane’s paw hit him.

The weight on his chest became absurdly heavy, and Gregor looked up to see a mountain of bodies pile up on him. The bodies of all the creatures he’d ever killed. 

Lastly, the Bane landed on the top, flattening the other corpses. Blood started flooding Gregor’s vision. Blood . . . Blood everywhere. Murky blood. Thick blood. Smelling Blood. Foul-tasting blood. 

He couldn’t breathe . . . drowning . . . drowning in blood.

“Get ready to fight!” he heard someone say, a rat maybe before he died.

Gregor bolted up in the makeshift bed, kicking the blankets away. His hand went down beside him, but he couldn’t find Boots.

“Boots!” he said.

“Get your sword out, pup!” shouted someone. Gregor stumbled onto his feet and glanced around. “Where’s Boots?”

“Safe, you need not know more,” said Lapblood. 

“Where's Boots?” Gregor repeated. “What’s going on?”

“I said, get your sword out!” snapped Morris.

A wing brushed over Gregor’s shoulder, and a sword plunged at him. He hopped sideways and blocked the attack with his blade. He looked up to see three bats, each with a human on top circling over them. His vision started shattering into pieces, but the rager sensation filled him with nothing but dread and discomfort.

What he’d seen in that dream . . . He didn’t even have a word for it. It was just too much. To see all his dead friends turn against him. But the worst thing was . . . Maybe they were right. He’d not been fighting when the battle was under attack. He hadn’t attempted to save poor Tick. And even though he had not wanted to, he’d left Twitchtip, the rat who’d first told him he was a rager. 

Ares was right. He couldn’t blame someone else for his actions. He’d killed Ares. Well, not literally, but he’d caused his death. 

And now Gregor couldn’t help thinking of all those he’d killed. Maybe they’d had a family to care for, a bunch of good friends. Maybe they’d been hoping to get back to them, to get out of the war alive. Well, Gregor had ruined that.

All these things . . . He’d thought about it before. When the war had ended, he’d broken his sword. When he’d come home, he had time after time pondered on the consequences of war. And now he was back in the Underland. Why had he even fought in the battles?

Because they needed him, he reasoned with himself. But it still didn’t feel right, though. Maybe it was because fighting was so . . . Alluring. Attractive. Like the silvery-flowered vines. They filled you with this sense of happiness, so you wouldn’t fight back. Then they’d drag you deep into the Vineyard and eat you. Maybe fighting was like this, too. At least for him. It was too tempting to reject. But that dream . . . It made him feel terrible. 

And Gregor was a rager. A killing machine. He guessed he’d killed so many more than the rest of the quest members besides Ripred.

That’s when the image of the mountain of bodies on his chest popped up in his mind, and he resolved to something that maybe, maybe, would finally give him peace from all the horrifying dreams and images.

He’d never, ever take a life again. No corpse should be added to the pile on his chest. 

Gregor dropped his sword. 

“What are you doing?” snarled Ripred.

“I can’t fight,” whispered Gregor. “I can’t.”

There was an odd sound, and suddenly he saw huge flames making their way towards him.

“Get out! They’ve dropped torches!. Get out!” said Lapblood, and bolted for a bat. 

Ripred snatched his shirt and ran. 

Gregor stared blankly at the flames and let Ripred drag him. 

They were almost at the edge of the stone ledge when it happened. Gregor’s foot caught something sticky, and they were yanked back. A spider came down from the ceiling and began spinning a web.

“Help!” screeched Gregor. “Help!”

Sixclaw, who was the only one not on a bat yet, ran towards them. He leaped into the web just before it closed around Gregor and Ripred, getting stuck there too.

Asclepius turned and coasted back to them, but Ripred waved him off. “Go! We will find a way out. Go!”

Gregor watched as the gray-brown bat shot away from the cave. Then he sat and looked at Sixclaw and Ripred.

Sixclaw had curled up on the ground and was now chanting, “We’re going to die, we’re going to die.” 

Ripred began pacing. “This is not good.”

And the flames came nearer.


	10. Ambushed

Maybe it was best this way. If they just died . . . there’d be nothing to worry about anymore. Okay, It’d be terrible for Gregor’s family. They’d mourn him, and his mom would blame herself for his death. And Boots and Luxa and all his friends would be sad, too. But if he died, it’d make it so much easier to keep the promise he’d made. There was no need to kill in death. The thought made him smile.

“We’re going to die, we’re going to die, we’re going to die!” said Sixclaw.

Wait, what was he thinking? Gregor sprang up and glanced around. 

“We’ve got to get out!” he said. What had he been thinking? It would not be okay if they died.

“As you see, there is this little problem with the web,” Ripred said. “And if we attempt to break it, that spinner up there will repair it before we can escape.”

Gregor nodded. Solovet had said something like that, too, when they’d been caught by the spiders on the trip to find his dad.

“I want to go home!” wailed Sixclaw. “I don’t want to die!”

“Oh, you big crybaby,” said Ripred. He rolled his eyes. “You’ll go back to your mama when we get out. Now, what we need is a plan.” 

“I thought you had one.” Gregor was torn between laughing and panicking. Ripred always had a plan.

“Well,” Ripred stuck his head up to Gregor’s. “I’ve got one.”

Gregor raised his eyebrows. 

“Now, this may be a complete suicide mission that’ll get us all killed,” whispered Ripred. “But there’s a chance it’ll work.” 

Gregor gestured at Sixclaw. “Shouldn’t he hear it, too?”

“No.,” said Ripred. “He goes around gloating over the fact that he killed one of the Bane’s big generals - Yes, he had those - in the battle on the Plains of Tartarus, but reality, he’s just a big crybaby.”

Ripred looked at Sixclaw who was still whimpering on the ground, then glanced at the flames coming towards them. 

“Okay, we’ve got to be fast. Here’s the plan: I engage in my spin attack and destroy the web, and then we get out as fast a we can. Drag a lot of web with you, we’ll need it to get down the on the ground. Take out the attackers if you can. And do not, and I repeat, do not lose grip of a piece of web to hold on to. If you fall, there won’t be any corpses to save you.”

Ripred placed himself in front of one of the web walls. “Are you ready?” 

Sixclaw got back on his feet. “What are we doing?”

“Getting out. Just follow Ripred and hold onto some web when we climb down,” said Gregor. For some odd reason, he actually felt calm. 

Ripred took a deep breath, and then started spinning. He reached out with his claws and severed a string in one cut, and continued to tear in the web. A beautiful yellow bat that reminded Gregor of the sun dove at Ripred, and he sliced it’s throat instantly. 

“Helios!” it’s bond cried as it crashed to the ground

Ripred looked back at Sixclaw and Gregor. “Now, get out!” he shouted.

“Come!” said Gregor and leaped through the hole in the web. He grabbed as much of the sticky silk as he could have and waved at Sixclaw. “Do like me!”

He enveloped his fingers in a thick layer of web and put some on his feet, then let the rest cling to his chest. Man, it’d hurt when he would have to pull it off again. But it didn’t matter now.

Gregor swung his legs over the edge of the ledge and fastened his fingers around it as he lowered himself down. Carefully, he placed a hand on a stone wall on his side. It clung there, and he planted his other hand on the wall. A sick dread washed through him a moment, then he released a breath he had not known he’d been holding. The web prevented him from falling! Gregor put his shoes on the wall. He thought of those superheroes who climbed on walls. Who knew how easy it was to experience it in real life?

“Hurry up!” snarled Ripred.

Gregor lifted his foot and began climbing down. It was kind of difficult because his hand and feet sometimes wouldn’t let go of the wall. But slowly, he made his way down. He spotted Sixclaw scrambling down the wall about two yards over him. The rat looked frightened and would flinge every time he thought he’d lost grip.

Gregor didn’t know how long they’d climbed when they heard a shriek from above. A colossal bat plummeted at them, and on it’s back was Ripred. “Hop on!” he said.

Sixclaw leaped on top of the bat, and it continued toward Gregor. He reached out and got hold of some chunks of fur. Someone snatched the collar of his shirt and pulled him on. 

“Who’s that,” he said while he caught his breath and pointed at the bat. It had the color of dried blood, and reminded Gregor of Solovet’s bat, Ajax, just much bigger. In fact, the bat was even bigger than Ares. 

“Boreas,” said Ripred with a smirk. “Since all those who were with him on their little mission to kill us are dead, he has agreed to fly us to the others. I’ll spare his life, and he will not tell his comrades about our escape.”

He looked Boreas dead in the eye. “And if you dare tell them anyway, I swear I will rip off your wings, toss you in a hole and then let you suffer till you die!.”

Boreas nodded. “I will not,” he said, and his voice quivered.

“Okay.” Ripred pointed his tail out into the darkness. “Go that way. If you find a gathering of a lot of creatures in some cave, tell me.”

Boreas nodded again. “Yes, I shall do.” 

He started flying.

“We’re going back to the others?” said Sixclaw hopefully. 

Ripred sighed. “Yes, you dull-witted pup.”

“Hey!” Sixclaw glared at him. “I’m offended.”

“Oh, shut it.” murmured Ripred and began scratching his fur. “This blood is hardening already.”

They’d only flown for a few minutes when Gregor got a feeling that something was wrong. Why would Boreas help them? He shook his head. It didn’t make sense.

Boreas made an abrupt turn, and all of a sudden Gregor was flying through the air. 

“What!” he gasped. The ground came nearer, and he held out his hands to cushion the fall. He crashed onto the floor and skid across on his stomach.

Gregor coughed. “What - what -” he said and struggled into a sitting position. 

Ripred emerged from a cloud of dust. “That traitor!” he said, “I should never have trusted him.”

He rose onto his hind legs and leaped, clawing at the air.

“Get down, you -”

But Boreas cut him off. “Did you honestly trust me? I thought you were smarter, Ripred.”

He plummeted at Ripred and pinned him down. “You killed Hadley. I shall never stoop so low as to surrender to my enemies without battle.”

Boreas’s eyes glowered ominously. Then his claw plunged down at Ripred.

“No!” screeched Gregor and broke into a stumbling sprint.

In what must’ve been the last millisecond, Ripred rolled out of the way. 

“Hah!” he said. “Is that all you have?”

Boreas growled and lunged at him. His claw barely brushed Ripred before the rat was on top of him. But Boreas wouldn’t give up that fast. He took off and flew higher and higher, before tossing Ripred off.

“Don’t fear, Ripred! We’ll catch you!” said Sixclaw and began circling.

Ripred twisted in the air and smacked his tail on Boreas’s side. The bat lost height and Ripred reached out. His claws caught Boreas’s wing and he pulled himself on. Boreas folded his wings against his body and spoke in a low, calm voice, “If I am to die, you are too.”

“You flap those wings now, Boreas, or I swear I will kill everyone you know and love. I’ll kill Lyam and Balvan and Hadley’s kid and Dione and your pups!” shouted Ripred, and for once, Gregor thought he actually heard a touch of fear in his voice.

“No.” Boreas’s voice was clear and rigid. 

It was like time slowed down as Gregor realized what was happening. His heart slammed against his chest and his jaw dropped. There’d probably been times where he’d thought that Ripred would die, but now he couldn’t believe what was happening. Or, rather, he wouldn’t believe it. 

Ripred couldn’t die. He just couldn’t. Everyone knew that. And now this stupid bat had decided today was the day to end the rager’s life. 

Gregor sprang onto Sixclaw. “No, no, no!” he said and flung his arms around. “No!”

Boreas laughed, and Gregor noticed the wild look in his eyes. “This is my revenge. Vengeance tastes good.” 

He laughed.

That’s when a sudden spark of light illuminated everything and perhaps thirty humans on bats appeared from somewhere behind them.

“Stop, Boreas! You must not kill him. He may have important information.” said a woman.

Boreas slowly halted and descended. A dozen bats broke free from the others, soared over to him and formed a circle around him. The humans raised their swords and pointed them and Ripred.

“Do not move, Ripred. There are a dozen swords pointed at you.” said a bald man. 

“Do you think a few butter-knives are enough to prevent me from tearing you to pieces?” said Ripred. “Oh, what an ignorant fool you are.”

“How dare you talk to me like that!” spluttered the man, “I am captain Iago of -”

Iago didn’t get to finish his sentence as Ripred’s tail flicked onto his side. 

“Help! Calais!” he screamed as he fell. His bat dove after him and Ripred called down to Sixclaw and Gregor, “Kill him!”

Sixclaw leaped and yanked Iago onto the floor. He swiftly cut the bald man’s throat.

“Our leader is dead.” said a man with a horseshoe-shaped scar on his cheek. “Follow, and we shall not hurt you.”

Ripred rolled his eyes. “And who are you then? Captain Goon?”

“Lieutenant Axel.” The man said in a high-pitched voice. He thrust his jaw forward. “But now, with captain Iago dead, you will know me as the fearless captain Axel.”

“Now, do not say something foolhardy. And no, I shall follow morons like you. Go back to your little king and tell him not to mess with us again. If not, I’ll be forced to get rid of you.”

The man laughed. “Sorry, my dear Ripred, did I hear right? We are thirty experienced soldiers ready to fight. Do you expect that a gnawer, a child and an old rager should beat us?”

Ripred snorted. “Experienced soldiers. If you were experienced soldiers, you’d know better than to challenge us.”

The man was losing his patience now. “We give you one last chance to follow, or we shall attack.”

Ripred leaped off Boreas and onto the floor. “Three-point arc,” he growled. “The Overlander on my right, Sixclaw on my left.”

Gregor swallowed. This was not making it easier to keep the promise. 

“Kill them all.” roared Axel through gritted teeth, and all the bats dived at them.

Okay, that promise had to wait. Gregor pulled his sword from his belt. 

His first adversary was a gray bat without rider who Gregor recognized as Iago’s bond, Calais. He ducked and plunged his sword into the bat’s underbelly as it flew over him. Calais jerked and shot right into the air. Gregor, who hadn’t let go of the sword yet, was now sent on a sick flight through Hades Hall. 

“Help!” he screamed as loud as he could and clutched the sword hilt. Calais made all sorts of twists and turns, but the wound was taxing on his health. Gregor somehow got his sword pushed even deeper into Calais and the bat let out an ear-splitting shriek. Then they were plummeting toward the ground and Gregor closed his eyes. He could still sense the floor coming closer, though, Then, suddenly, Calais jerked into a horizontal position and landed on the floor. Gregor wedged his sword free and squeezed out from under the bat who’d gone limp as soon as he’d landed. 

“Just another one to be added to the pile.” he thought.

He looked around. Sixclaw was obviously enjoying himself. He was tearing bats down and cutting their wings to pieces.

Surrounded by a dust cloud, Gregor could just catch a glimpse of Ripred, who was spinning. Every foolish bat who dared to come near got killed in an instant, and their bond was sliced up, too.

He sensed a bat coming in and slashed his sword. It cut right through the bat’s wing, sending it crashing to the floor.

A yelp sounded through the cave and Gregor’s head snapped up. A scorched stench hit his nostrils.

“My tail is on fire!” said Ripred and sprang out of the dust cloud. 

Gregor struggled to quell the laugh that was forming in his throat. Because small wispy flames were dancing on Ripred’s tail, making him yowl in pain.

“Die, die, die!” he barked and flicked his burning tail at the humans and bats. But he was genuinely bewildered.

Sixclaw winked. “And I’m a crybaby. Hah!”

Gregor grinned. “Yeah.” 

Two bats dove toward him, and he stuck his sword in one of them. He could feel the rager sensation buzzing in his veins, and he yanked out the blade. He had no wish to go on another reckless flight.

The bat collided with the floor, and Gregor stabbed its bond in the back. It wasn’t fun to do, but necessary.

That’s when a shrill laughter cut reached his ear. Lieutenant Axel appeared on a small navy blue bat.

“Do you think you can beat us? There are dozens of bond teams on the way here, and with your rager out, you’re nothing!” he said. 

“Does he not know I’m a rager, too?” wondered Gregor.

“Do not ignore me!” Axel said, “Hector, dive!

The small bat dove at Gregor. He fastened his grip around the sword hilt and readied himself. At first, it didn’t appear like Axel had any weapon. Then, as Hector closed in on him, he wielded a smooth-polished axe.

“It’s not for nothing they call me Axel Axewielder.” he snarled and raised his weapon.

Gregor prepared himself to parry the incoming blow when a shout startled him. 

“Gregor, watch out!” said Sixclaw.

Gregor turned just in time to see a woman with a sword lashing out at him. He twisted and turned his sword as fast as he could, but the woman’s sword still cut into his left shoulder. Had it not been for Sixclaw who’d barged into her bat, the blade would’ve went much deeper.

“I fooled you, moron.” taunted Axel.

Something hit Gregor in the side.   
He looked up and saw Hector hovering right over him. And in Axel’s hand was the axe.

Gregor felt a sick dread envelope his heart. 

“Do not move,” warned Axel.

Gregor fumbled with the sword. His brain told him to call for help, but his lips were as glued together. He allowed himself a glance around. Maybe Sixclaw or Ripred would see him and come to his aid.

He found Sixclaw about twenty yards away, trying to stave off six bats. But his attempts were futile, and the bats were slowly surrounding him.

Ripred, on the other hand, had no problems fending off the attackers. But, it appeared like captain Iago’s team had developed a new strategy. Occasionally, a bat would break free of the formation, fly above Ripred, and then it’s bond would drop a torch. Most of the torches didn’t hit their target, but when one did, Ripred would yelp in pain, allowing a sword or claw to find its way through his defense. 

“. . . Are you listening?” said Axel. 

“What?” said Gregor.

Axel sighed. “Didn’t you hear my speech?” And he genuinely sounded disappointed.

“I mean, I did,” said Gregor. He smiled. There was no need to irk Axel. “It was very . . . inspiring.”

A haughty smile crept onto Axel’s face. “That’s what I’ve always told them. I am inspire - what is that?”

He pointed at something behind Gregor. 

Gregor twisted his head and saw two huge silhouettes coming toward them. He clicked his tongue and detected the forms.

Gregor’s jaw literally dropped to his chest. 

Axel had also recognized the figures now. “This cannot be true. They cannot -”

“Ready yourselves.” said a woman. “Stingers!”


	11. Running

Gregor yanked his sword out and jabbed it into Hector’s wing. The bat yowled and jerked away. Gregor stumbled up and broke into a sprint. 

“Follow him, Hector! Follow that pesky child!” hollored Axel, “Let us end that poor excuse of a warrior!”

Gregor scampered across what had by now become a plain of corpses. Axel kept shouting insults at him, but he gritted his teeth and ignored them. He wasn’t up for a verbal sparring right now.

That’s when a glimpse of a razor-sharp pincher sprang into his view, and a giant scorpion emerged from the darkness. The torchlight sparked off its armor shell, and its tail was raised in an attack position. Another, yet bigger scorpion stepped out.

Axel gasped. “They did not look that big. . .”

“Get over here!” Ripred said. Gregor turned and made his way to him. Sixclaw bolted to them, too.

“You’ve got that under control?” he asked, and grinned at Ripred, who was attempting to put out some stray sparks in his fur. 

“You shut up, pup.” Ripred snapped, and tripped him with his tail, “As you see, we’ve got more important matters now. We have to move soon and fast. Those stingers can’t hold them back forever. They’ll send back-up.”

“What’s the plan, then?” Gregor said. 

“We run.” Ripred said matter-of-factly. 

“Run?” said Gregor. “We’re going to flee?” Since fighting was the usual choice among people down here, fleeing seemed odd.

“As I said, the scorpions cannot fend them off forever. Battle is not their preferred choice.” said Ripred. He sighed. “Now, we need to get out of here. Follow me.” 

He turned to where the scorpions had come from and broke into a rather fast jog. Sixclaw followed, though falling a bit behind. Gregor stuck his sword in his belt and began running, maintaining a solid jog as he remembered his track coach had taught him. But he was out of training, and soon started falling back. His mouth dried, and he breathed heavily. Ripred noticed and called for them to stop.

“It’s not good enough,” he said, “You have to run, boy!”

“I can’t, I’m out of training.” said Gregor, panting. “I’m doing the best I can!”

“And that is not good enough!” snarled Ripred, “They’ve probably noticed our disappearance by now, which makes the slight edge we’ve got crucial!”

“Woah, cut him some slack!” Sixclaw said and frowned. “I can’t keep up with you, either.”

Ripred scowled. “We need a new plan. The big warrior is not fast enough, and our enemies are surely gaining on us.”

Sixclaw started pacing. “Anybody got some spider silk?”

Gregor felt down his body, searching for the sticky stuff. Yep, there were still clumps of it scattered over his body. “I have some.” he said, although he couldn’t really see how spider silk should help. 

“This might be a little dangerous,” said Sixclaw. “But it’ll sure speed us up.”

“What’re you thinking, pup?” said Ripred.

Sixclaw grinned. “I spoke with Sulphur earlier. He told me of some tricks he’d used before. Come, Gregor.”

“Okay . . .” said Gregor, and crossed to him. 

“Put that stuff on my tail, and then hop on.” instructed Sixclaw.

Gregor smeared silk over his tail, then wrapped his arms around it. It send jabs of pain through him as he moved his left arm, and blood wetted his black shirt. 

“And you might as well coat that wound,” added Ripred, “We can’t have you bleed to death here in the middle of nowhere.”

Gregor plucked a handful silk from Sixclaw’s tail and tried to put it on his shoulder. The stuff itched, but it was the best they could come up with right now. He folded the torn cloth around the wound to be on the safe side. 

“Okay,” said Sixclaw, “Now, hold on tight, little warrior, ‘cause this’ll be fast!”

Gregor was about to complain over the rat calling him little warrior, when Sixclaw suddenly inhaled loudly and took of like a bullet. The world was a blur, and all he could do was cling on. He closed his eyes, but it didn’t really work since images still popped up in his brain as a product of echolocation. Nor could the sensation of sheer speed be shut out. He’d never tried anything like this. Flying on a bat was fast, but you weren’t thrown around in the air. Riding the currents were maybe more like it. 

“You liking it, Overlander?” he heard Sixclaw say. 

Gregor attempted to come up with a neutral answer, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a sort of low groan.

“Come on, boy, ain’t you going to open those eyes? Oh, I forgot. You’ve finally learned echolocation, or have you forgotten it again? You have faced down hundreds of rats, and now you won’t enjoy a ride? Don’t tell me your afraid of running, too.” said Ripred from somewhere in front of him.

“I’ve a - alway - ways ha - ted wild riiiiiiiiiides!” flew out of Gregor’s mouth. He had this queasy feeling, but he could hardly throw up here. He imagined some creature, perhaps a firefly, finding a trail of throw up on the floor.

After they’d run in maybe five minutes, Gregor began feeling more comfortable about the transport method. Well, not really, but it was better than before. The urge to retch was lighter now, and he started trusting the spider silk more. He’d just found a comfy way to hang on - as comfy as you could be when you were glued to a giant rat’s tail - when he thought a light breeze brushed over him, and an image sprang into his mind. 

“There’s - !” he said, but the rest of his sentence was muffled as something smacked him off Sixclaw’s tail and onto the floor. He tried to get up, and suddenly found himself pinned to ground. “Hey!”

“I told you I will never surrender.” whispered a sinister voice in Gregor’s ear. It send chills all the way down to his feet, and he turned his head. A slap smashed in onto the ground, but the glimpse of a velvety wing he’d caught was enough. 

“Boreas.” he said. How’d he come here? The answer was obvious, but he hadn’t thought they would take down those scorpions that fast. Maybe they sent Boreas as a scout or something, or perhaps he’d just gone himself. 

“You and your friends will die! I will have my revenge, I cannot fail Hadley!” Boreas said. 

“He got here because he wanted to, not because of any orders.” thought Gregor, “There’s something weird about that, though.”

“I’m starting with you, child.” said Boreas, and before Gregor could move, the bat had dug his claw into his bad shoulder. He winced and kicked at him, but Boreas barely flinched.

“I am going to torture you!” Boreas said, and laughed. He yanked out the claw.

Gregor searched after signs of the rager thing, but they were nowhere to be found. No buzzing in his veins, nor did his vision split up. His heart started pounding. As much as he’d wished it before in that cave, his rager senses couldn’t leave him now. In his mind he saw Boreas’s claw aiming for his back. As it came closer and closer, he realized something. Well, he’d always known it, and been affected by it before, but this was by far the most terrifying experience. His muscles became slack as it dawned on him. Without his rager abilities, he was doomed.

Boreas chuckled. “Die, stupid warrior child!” he said, and, despite the situation, Gregor couldn’t help but think of how many things he’d been called in the past week. Or was it two? 

He didn’t get to think of more, because something in his mind caught his attention. A creature moved with intense speed, knocking Boreas of him and onto the ground. A tinge of hope welled up in him. Could it be . . . ?

“Can you not take care of anything yourself, kid?” said Ripred. “That time you’ve spent in the Overland has certainly not improved your self-confidence. And here I thought you were a big, brave rager?”

“Who says I’ve got bad self-confidence?” shouted Gregor, but he couldn’t help laughing. Of course Ripred would take care of things. He tried to push himself up, but his shoulder hurt like crazy whenever he moved it.

Ripred rolled his eyes. “I’ve got no time for your unimportant babbling right now, Overlander. But if you’d help me catch this treacherous halfwit, that’d be good.” 

“Who are you calling a halfwit, you crackbrained moron. Yes, you are a rager, but I have got sheer fury to counter that!” hissed Boreas.

“Oh, I see.” said Ripred with a smirk. “Have you never learned that anger will not make you a stronger opponent, just more reckless?”

Boreas growled. He’d managed to get up in the air, but Ripred had made a nasty cut in his right wing when he’d knocked him down. But regardless of his wound, Boreas still flew and dived at Ripred with a surprising speed.

“I always hold my promises, you must have learned that by now.” he said.

“Oh, shut up. You’re a fool if you think you can beat me, but you are welcome to try.” said Ripred. As one would expect, his taunting only made Boreas more angry.

“Die!” the bat snarled and whirled his claws around as he neared Ripred. But Ripred just sidestepped, and rolled his eyes at Boreas. “You’ve got to try something better than that, halfwit.”

Boreas’s face twisted into a furious grimace, his eyes bulging. “I told you not to call me halfwit!” He flapped his wings a couple of times, and then plummeted at Ripred. 

“Trying that again, are we?” Ripred said, and flicked his tail at Boreas. But he was wrong. As the tail came close to him, Boreas turned in the air and pulled his gums back.

“Ripred!” came Sixclaw’s warning, but it was too late. Boreas’s teeth clamped down on Ripred’s tail, making him yowl as the blood sprayed out. He sprang back and swung his tail around, but the bat wouldn’t let go. Boreas let out a sick laugh.

“Man, something is really wrong about that bat,” thought Gregor, “He doesn’t seem . . . Sane.”

Ripred smacked his tail onto the hard stone floor, bringing Boreas down. The red bat skid across the ground on his belly, and Ripred had him pinned down in an instant. 

“You’re playing with fire here, Boreas.” he snarled. “You don’t mess with me.”

“Get off me, or I will rip you to pieces!” Boreas said, but he sounded rather unsure.

“No, my dear Boreas, I think you’ve misunderstood something. It’s not you, who’s ripping me to pieces, it’s me, who is ripping you to pieces.” said Ripred and grinned. His laugh sent chills down Gregor’s spine. He had no clue what Ripred would do, but it sure wasn’t going to be something as civil as talking things through with Boreas.

“No,” said Boreas.

“Oh, yes.” said Ripred. “I keep my promises, too. Do you not remember?”

Boreas cocked his head, puzzled. “What?”

“I’ll let you figure that out. Now, let me just disable you so you won’t fight back.” Ripred dug a claw into Boreas’s back. The bat shrieked, but Ripred wouldn’t let him go.

“Now, let’s hope you’re so blindsided by the pain that you haven’t got any energy left to strike back.” Ripred said. “Don’t worry, if someone find you I’m sure they’ll get some doctors to fix you up. Now, on to step two.”

Sixclaw made his way to Gregor and nudge him with his tail. “What’s he doing?”

Gregor shrugged. “I don’t know. Something bad.”

Ripred stepped back from Boreas and slapped his tail onto his left wing. A nasty crack told Gregor it was broken. Boreas groaned, and Ripred did the same to his other wing.

“Good, good.” the rat said. “Now, someone, find a hole.”

“What?” asked Gregor.

Ripred rolled his eyes. “Where’s your memory, Boy? Did you lose it somewhere on that flight with Calais?”

“Oh - !” said Sixclaw. His jaw dropped several inches before he said something, “Oh, I know what you mean! I’ll go find one.” 

Gregor glanced from Ripred to Sixclaw. What was going on? Sure, he could tell that something bad was about to happen, but what had some hole to do with it?

“Here!” Sixclaw called out, circling something about thirty yards away. Gregor clicked and detected a deep hole in the rock floor. 

“So you’re actually able to follow orders,” muttered Ripred. He flicked his tail onto Boreas who was attempting to move. “All right, I’ll drag him there and you make sure he does not try to flee.”

Confused, Gregor made his way to Ripred and placed himself on beside him. Ripred bit into Boreas’s foot and hooked his teeth there. “There must be some different way to do this.” he murmured as he began dragging the bat towards Sixclaw. Gregor drew his sword and followed; he’d better do as Ripred said.

Once they’d made it to the hole, Gregor stopped and examined it. It was about two or three yards deep, and when he put his hand on one of the walls, it felt smooth and polished against his palm. 

“That is a good place.” Ripred said approvingly, but Gregor noticed the slight shudder that washed over him. He remembered the pit they’d found the rat trapped in on their quest to find the mice, and wondered how long he’d been down there. For weeks, probably.

“I keep my promises.” snarled Ripred at Boreas. The viciousness in his voice surprised Gregor, but if Sixclaw had noticed his odd demeanor, he ignored it.

“I would like to keep mine, too.” Boreas said. “But you have prevented that. I swear, if I ever see you again I will tear you piece for piece and -”

Ripred cut him off by biting even harder into his leg. He sat on top of the bat, but something in his gaze had changed. For a short second, the look of pure viciousness disappeared and was replaced by . . . Gregor had no clue what that might be.

“War is a game, and in a game you must beat your enemy to win.” Ripred said. “You can blame me all you want for Hadley’s death, but in the end it was his own fault. If he hadn’t tried to boast with his fighting talents, I would not have killed him.” He sighed. “Imagine this: you stand face-to-face with an enemy and prepare to advance on him or her. In your enemy’s eyes, you’re just another threat to be killed, and you think the same of him or her. My point here is that you cannot simply vow revenge against someone because they killed someone you loved.”

Boreas growled. “And that should come from you.” he snorted. “Perhaps I’ll think of your words when you are but bones in the ground.”

The wise look in Ripred’s eyes disappeared and he began laughing. “Do you frankly still think you can kill me? Oh, you empty-headed moron, you never learn, do you?”

Boreas kicked him in the snout with his free leg. “I am no moron!”

“Oh, yes you are.” muttered Ripred. He bit deeper into the bat’s leg. A chilling crack sounded as his teeth hit bone. Ripred swung his head back and hurled Boreas into the pit. “Oh, yes you are.”

Gregor wished he’d been able to cover his ears in time to shut out the mortifying scream Boreas let out. His sword slipped out of his hand.

“Now, go die!” said Ripred. “It’s a pity that I do not have time to wait here. It would be a pleasure to watch you suffer.”

Boreas groaned. “You wretched bastard!”

Ripred smirked. “I think we’ve traded enough insults today. It has been . . . delightful, to say the least.”

Gregor found himself clutching Sixclaw’s fur. The young rat was shivering, and his tail moved in odd patterns.

“Woah,” whispered Gregor, “I didn’t know he was that . . . Sadistic.”

Sixclaw turned to him. “Nor did I.”

Ripred put a paw against his mouth and wiped the blood away. “What?” 

“You -” started Gregor. “You just -”

Ripred narrowed his eyes. “I see you’re not familiar with that. Oh, well, let’s get going. If he’s here, the others are sure on their way.”

Sixclaw stepped away. “So, I guess you just hop on, then?” he said, but something in his voice was odd. Gregor could tell Ripred’s behavior had disgusted him, too. But he kept quiet, picking up his sword. He climbing onto Sixclaw’s tail and clung to the spider silk. He winced. His arm hurt even more now.

“You all right?” Sixclaw asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Gregor said, but he couldn’t help peeling away the torn cloth on his shoulder. Beneath, the silk had turned the color of Boreas’s fur, and when he put a finger on it, he could feel it was soaked.

“We better get going,” said Ripred, “I can smell some creature somewhere near. A crawler, if I am corrwct. Could be an enemy, could be one of our friends.”

Gregor fastened his grip around Sixclaw’s tail as the rat shot off. His clothes ballooned around him, and his shoulder ached, but at least he didn’t feel so sickly anymore. Maybe he’d gotten used to it . . . Or maybe not. As Sixclaw leaped over a large crack in the floor, he had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep from vomiting.

“What, you can’t endure some speed?” grinned Sixclaw, “How come you fly around all the time, then? You bringing bags to retch in with you?”

Man, did people really have to go around insulting him all the time?

“It’s me, and only me who gets to insult the Overlander.” Ripred said grumpily, “Not some stupid pup.”

“I ain’t a stupid pup!” said Sixclaw, “If I’m a stupid pup, then you are a - a -” He paused, searching for the right words. “A peabrained idiot! Yeah, a peabrained idiot!” he said, clearly proud that he’d be able to come up with such a complex insult.

“Sure.” muttered Ripred. He began running faster. “We’re nearing.”

Sixclaw sped up, too. Gregor found himself gripping the rat’s tail even harder. His arm ached terribly, and Boreas had torn apart the makeshift bandage. He’d try to fix it next time they had a break.

After a few minutes, Ripred held his paw up. “Halt,” he whispered, “We must not make any noise.”

Sixclaw stopped and Gregor slid off his tail. They waited.

Gregor noticed a crack in the wall, maybe five feet wide, that opened up into a bigger cave. He clicked his tongue.

“Quiet!” snarled Ripred. 

Gregor was about to ask why they’d stopped when his echolocation detected something in the cave. A small creature padded around inside, then stopped as if listening. 

“Come,” whispered Ripred. He edged closer to the crevice. Gregor got on his knees and followed. 

“What are we doing?” he asked, confused.

Ripred gestured to the crack in the wall. “It has surely discovered us by now.”

As if on cue, the creature popped its head through the opening to the tunnel. Some fungus grew on the wall, illuminating the walls. Gregor realized the creature was a cockroach.

“Who be there, who be?” it asked. 

Ripred stepped into the crack. The roach gave a hiss of surprise. “Rat, you be, Rat. Tell, says General, tell.”

Ripred sighed. “All right, Crawler. I give you two options. Do not tell of our bypassing, and you shall live. If you, however, do tell this ‘General’ that we’ve been here, I am forced to kill you.”

“Honor, says General, I be granted honor.” the cockroach said, “They give me honor. Only if I tell, say him, Only if I tell.”

Ripred shot it a look of annoyance. He rose onto his haunches to leap.

“Wait!” said Sixclaw, “I want to do this!” He bolted down the tunnel before anyone could object and pinned the roach to the floor. It hissed.

“Okay, Crawler, any last words? I’ll be happy to hear them.” he said. 

The crawler squirmed a bit. “Good life, it has been, good life.”

“Oh, shut up with your sentimentality. It is stupid!” said Sixclaw. He chuckled. “Now I shall end you.”

The cockroach had given up on trying to escape. It nudged Sixclaw with its antennae. “Will not be happy, be Brother, will not be happy.” 

“Oh, and who is your brother, then?” Sixclaw snarled. 

“Click - !” the roach choked out. 

“Stop!” said Ripred, but Sixclaw had already finished the cockroach off with a swipe of his claw.

Ripred shook his head and scowled at him. “Was that necessary?”

Now Gregor was confused. “I thought you were going to kill it anyway?

“I mean that imbecile babbling of Sixclaw’s.” Ripred said, “Worse still, this could lead to serious strife between gnawers and crawlers!”

“Uhh.” said Sixclaw, “Did I do something wrong? I mean, I guess I shouldn’t have been that . . .” He trailed off.

“Tell me Sixclaw, who do you think of when you hear the name Click?” said Ripred. 

“No one, I guess?” said Sixclaw. Then his eyes became wide with realization. “Oh, you mean - oh!”

Gregor glanced between the two, trying to figure out what was going on. Who was this Click-person? It must be a cockroach, since that roach had called him its brother.

“You do realize you really have messed up, right?” growled Ripred. He pulled his gums back.

“Hey, how was I supposed to know that? It was you who wanted to kill it. You wouldn’t have known it, either!” shot back Sixclaw.

Ripred started rubbing his teeth against each other. It made an uncomfortable sound, like nails on a chalkboard. Gregor was attempted to intervene, but he figured it might be wisest to stay put.

“I tried to stop you!” snarled Ripred, “But you did it anyway!”

Sixclaw glared at him. “Well, you spoke up to late! Now that roach is dead and gone, and there’s nothing we can do about it.” he said, “If you’d intervened earlier, this ‘Serious strife between gnawers and crawlers’ might be evaded.”

“Stupid pup!” Ripred said and leaped. 

Okay, screw wise. Gregor sprang to his feet and sprinted in front of Ripred, banging his sword into the rat’s face. Ripred flew back and crashed onto the ground. 

Sixclaw grinned. “So, it looks like the Overlander is on my side, after all.”

Ripred glared at them both but didn’t attempt to attack again. “We might as well get some rest.” was all he said. He bolted past Sixclaw down the tunnel and into the cave.

Gregor put his sword in his belt. He shook his head. What was up with Ripred today? First he’d been all sadistic, and now he’d tried to attack Sixclaw. Who was that cockroach even? Gregor was too tired to try figuring it out. He headed down the tunnel and through the entrance to the cave. Ripred was on the floor, snoring loudly.

With a sigh, Gregor braced himself against a wall and sat. Sixclaw padded in and curled up on the floor. 

Gregor didn’t bother laying down. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. But he couldn’t really think, either. His mind was just blank. Man, this had been a messed up day.


	12. We’re back!

He didn’t how long he’d sat here. Maybe two or three hours. And frankly, he didn’t really care.

A rustling startled him. Gregor glanced around and realized it’d just been Sixclaw turning in his sleep. He exhaled. For a second, he’d thought Axel and his troops had found them. 

He looked at Ripred who was fast asleep on the ground. A frown slid onto his face. It was not like the rat to take a break when enemy forces were hot on their tails. Then again, Ripred hadn’t really been himself the past few hours. 

There was something weird about that bat, Boreas, too. The way he’d acted, that talk of revenge. Something must’ve happened in his past, and Gregor was pretty sure Ripred had something to do with it.

Then there was that Hadley-guy Boreas kept talking about. He must’ve been the bat’s bond since Boreas hadn’t had a rider. Gregor thought Ripred had said that he’d killed him. That made sense. Of course, Boreas must hate Ripred if he’d killed his bond.

But then again, there’d been this odd atmosphere when Boreas and Ripred had fought. Ripred’s speech cut through his mind.

“War is a game, and in a game, you must beat your enemy to win. You can blame me all you want for Hadley’s death, but in the end, it was his own fault. If he hadn’t tried to boast with his fighting talents, I would not have killed him. Imagine this: you stand face-to-face with an enemy and prepare to advance on him or her. In your enemy’s eyes, you’re just another threat to be killed, and you think the same of him or her. My point here is that you cannot simply vow revenge against someone because they killed someone you loved.”

What did that even mean? Gregor closed his eyes and tried to wrap his mind around it. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t seem to come to a conclusion that’d explain Ripred’s odd behavior.

Ripred stirred in his sleep. Gregor’s eyes locked on the rat. It could’ve just have been the occasional tossing and turning in your sleep, but something about Ripred’s abrupt twitches and tense muscles told Gregor the rat was having a nightmare.

He wondered if he should wake Ripred, but reasoned with himself that he’d probably had many, many nightmares before. Still, Gregor knew how terrible nightmares could be. The thought of the tower of bodies piled up on his chest flashed before his eyes, and he shuddered.

The fear of nightmares was just another reason why he couldn’t sleep. He thought his mind might subconsciously have kept him awake in terror of having another bad dream. 

Gregor got on his feet and headed out the cave entrance. Since he didn’t have anything better to do, he might as well practice echolocation or something; he felt too cooped up in that cave. 

In the tunnel that led to Hades Hall, he came across the cockroach Sixclaw had killed. Its head was chopped in two, and its legs were bent at awkward angles. Gregor brushed some rubble from its shell. The shell was grayish, like Min’s, and there were marks from Sixclaw’s claws scratched it. He couldn’t help thinking of what Ripred had said about a ‘Serious strife between crawlers and gnawers’. Whoever this roach was, it must be important in some way.

Gregor made his way through the tunnel and drew his sword. He’d gone out here to practice echolocation, but it seemed kind of pointless, since there was no light out here, anyway; he’d had no problem using it the past few hours. So he figured he could train with his sword instead. It wasn’t the ideal thing to do, but it was better than doing nothing.

He practiced different cuts and attacks, pretending to fight an invisible enemy. It didn’t feel right, though. After a few minutes, he stopped and plunked down on the floor with the wall to his back. 

There was no point in this. Gregor wished he’d had some company. There was nothing he could do except keep watch, and since no one had shown up the time they’d been here, he guessed Axel had given up trying to find them. It seemed odd, though. 

Gregor got up and put his sword back in his belt. He walked through the tunnel and found Ripred awake on the floor, scratching something in the stone. “What’re you doing?”

Ripred shot him a glare. “Nothing.” He clamped one paw around his tail and winced. “We’ve got to get back to the others. Your shoulder, how is it?” 

Gregor glanced at his shoulder and tugged the torn cloth away. From what he could make out, he thought the silk was still unblemished. Still, he couldn’t be sure, relying entirely on echolocation. The wound stung; he hoped it wasn’t inflamed or something. “Okay, I think,” he said. 

“Hmm,” said Ripred. “Now, we must get moving. We’ve not had any water or food for hours, and the others have surely given up hope that we’ve survived the flames.”

Gregor felt a wave of worry combined with an annoying dryness in his mouth wash over him. He hadn’t thought of the others at all; what if something had happened to them? And if you left out that possibility, there still was what Ripred had said. The others must think they were dead or something.

He imagined Boots, not understanding where he was, and why he wasn’t coming. She barely knew what death was as it was. It’d be terrible for her if she thought he’d died. Gregor bit his lips. He’d not thought of this. And what if they never caught up with the others? Would they starve to death out here? 

Then Gregor thought of Luxa. Did she think he was dead, too? He dropped to the ground. He didn’t think he’d spent an hour conversing with her at all on this trip. It felt wrong. “When I get back, I need to talk more with her,” he thought. But what if he didn’t get back? Or what if all the other questers were dead? What if he never got back home? Gregor thought of his mom, and the last time he’d seen her. It seemed so long ago. “You are just like me,” her voice echoed in his head.

“Something wrong, Gregor?” 

Gregor snapped out of his thoughts and found himself staring into Sixclaw’s concerned face. He realized tears had started trickling down his face. He reached up and wiped his cheeks. “No.”

“You sure?” Sixclaw said.

Gregor nodded. “So, I thought Ripred said we needed to get going?”

“Yes,” said Ripred. “Get ready, and let’s go.” He started out the opening and down the tunnel. 

Gregor looked at Sixclaw. “Am I going to ride on you again?”

“The silk should work still,” said Sixclaw. He offered his tail. “Hop on and hold on tight.”

So Gregor wrapped his arms around the rat’s tail and held on. Sixclaw bolted down the tunnel and out into Hades Hall, following Ripred. They’d run a few minutes when Gregor realized something was wrong. Well, not wrong. Something was just . . . different.

That’s when it hit him. He could see. Not with echolocation, but with his eyes. There was a faint glow somewhere off in the distance. As they ran, it grew stronger, and Gregor saw a bat soaring towards them. For a minute he thought it was Boreas. Then he remembered that the bat was stuck in the hole Ripred threw him in. He shuddered as he thought of Ripred’s sadistic behavior. He’d have to ask the rat about it later.

The bat swooped down towards them, and its rider stood upon it, a torch in his hand. Gregor recognized him as Morris, one of the quest members. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. If Morris was here, then the others must be alive, too.

“Hey, look!” he said to Sixclaw. 

The rat gained speed and whizzed towards Morris and the bat. “I’m going home!” he squealed, and Gregor thought this was the most childish rat he’d ever met. But he smiled, too.

“Well, hello to you, too!” Morris said. “I told them I saw you some time ago, but no one trusts my eyes anymore.” 

His bat did a loop and landed. Sixclaw galloped the last few yards and screeched to a halt in front of it. Ripred came up on their side. “Morris.”

Morris grinned. “They will be more than happy when I show up with you. It has been miserable to be in their company these hours. It was as if they were already certain of your fate.”

“How’s my mother?” asked Sixclaw, and for once he didn’t sound immature.

Morris sighed. “Not good, I can tell you that. Your sister, too. As is the queen.” 

Gregor frowned. “What about Boots?” he said. He didn’t want Boots to go through what he’d gone through when he thought she was dead. Okay, that probably wouldn’t happen. But still. 

Morris and his bat glanced at each other. “Since half our party thought you dead, she is not in what I would call a good state.” the bat said.

Gregor swallowed. He felt kind of guilty for some reason. 

“All right,” said Ripred. “We need to get going. Morris, how fare the others?”

“In terms of well-being, I’d say decently. Howard has been nursing their wounds. Though, the mood is quite . . . Glum.” Morris said. “Now, if we should get on with this. I sadly cannot offer you all a seat. While Pollux is a strong flier, he cannot carry the weight of you all. Ripred, I’m afraid you have to run.”

“What?” Ripred said. “After all I’ve put up with, being in the company of these two morons?” 

Morris grinned. “Sorry, Ripred. As I said, Pollux cannot carry you all.”

Ripred scowled. “Oh, fine.” he said, “I suppose I can run a little more. Now, get on Pollux, you two.”

Gregor scrambled up behind Morris on Pollux; Sixclaw got on behind him. The bat took off, and he found himself enjoying being on a bat again. This was so much more comfortable than riding on Sixclaw’s tail. 

“Take the torch, will you, boy?” said Morris. “This is no good for my arms.”

Gregor noticed both his arms were bandaged and wondered what had happened. He’d probably hurt it somewhere in the chaos on the ledge. He reached out to grab the torch. A sharp pain shot through his left arm. He glanced at his shoulder and slid the cloth aside.

“That shoulder is in need of medical attention,” said Morris. “What happened?”

But Gregor barely listened. His eyes were locked on the blood-soaked silk on his arm. He thought he’d seen it somewhere else. But where?

A row of images shot through his mind as he remembered. The Bane’s tail stump, covered in a ball of silk. He and Ares flying over the plateau, blood leaking from the rat’s tail. Ares diving. The Bane reaching out with his claws, catching Ares’s wing and -

Pollux did another loop, and Gregor found himself free-falling. “Help!” he cried, but secretly, he was glad the bat had done that. He’d been on the verge of another flashback. His clothes settled against his body as he landed on Pollux.

“So, Overlander, I have been wondering, why did you ride Sixclaw’s tail?” said Morris. 

“He offered me a ride,” said Gregor. “He said it was something that yellow rat had told him about.”

Morris flipped around so he faced Gregor and leaned against Pollux’s head. “Yes, but why the tail. You could have just sat on his back.”

“Yeah, but he said —” Gregor realized how stupid he sounded. It was true, what Morris said. He could’ve just ridden on top of Sixclaw instead of hanging on to his tail. 

Morris chuckled. “Oh, oh! Well, at least we have something to lift the others’ spirits now,” he said. “Tell me, Boy, did anything else interesting happen on your trip? And by interesting I mean amusing.”

Gregor found himself laughing, too. Something about this guy made him in a better mood. That mix of carefreeness and . . . What was it? He didn’t even know. 

“Okay,” he thought. “The man asks if anything funny happened. Then think.” As he glanced down at Ripred, he thought of the battle against lieutenant Axel and his troop. A smile slipped onto his face. “Well, we were fighting, and then someone set Ripred’s tail on fire, and he all baffled and all. I mean, it was kind of funny.”

Morris grinned at him, and then he laughed so hard he almost fell off his bat. “Oh!” he gasped. “I know a few people who will certainly be amused by this.” 

“Yeah . . .” said Gregor but he guessed it was indeed a good thing to tell the others. And it was funny, too. Even Pollux joined in with a couple of deep “huh huh huhs”.

“What’s so funny that I don’t get to join in?” called Ripred from beneath them. “Did the warrior tell you how he almost threw up on the way here?”

Morris winked. “Oh, no, my dear Ripred. Our warrior here spoke of a little tale I am sure you would love the others to hear. Tell me, Rager, did you happen to have your tail set alight?”

“That’s between us, all right?” snarled Ripred.

“Oh, the big Ripred does not want us to know how he embarrassed himself in front of a bunch of soldiers?” Morris said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “When we come back, I am certain the whole city of Regalia, plus the gnawers, flier, crawlers, spinners, basically all species in the Underland, would just love to hear —”

“Not now, Morris!” snapped Ripred. “Right now I have bigger issues to think of. When we get back to Regalia, I have some major problems to address.”

Morris frowned. “All right, let us quiet down. I will stop irking you, for now, Ripred. It was just friendly banter, you know.”

“Well, as you see, I’m not in a mood for this,” said Ripred. “I’ve got to think something up soon since that moron Sixclaw messed up. . .”

Gregor was tempted to ask what it was exactly Sixclaw had done wrong, but he shut up when he saw the glare Ripred sent him. Still, he’d like to know what had happened. If it could make Ripred attack Sixclaw, then something must be up.

“That was odd. Either he has changed since I last spoke to him, or something really is up. He normally tolerates me more,” said Morris. “What say you, Overlander?”

Gregor shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “He seems kind of normal to me. Shoot, if I’d said what you did, he’d be at my throat now. Are you guys friends or something?”

“Indeed,” said Morris. “Or perhaps were is the correct term. Back in the days, we were quite good friends, Ripred and I. Or at least as good friends as a gnawer and a killer can be.” 

It took Gregor a moment to realize something was wrong with the sentence. Then his eyes widened.

“What? Are you surprised that Ripred actually has a genuine friend among humans?” said Morris. 

“No, it’s just . . . You said killer,” said Gregor. In the Underland, everything had two names: rats were gnawers, spiders were spinners, fireflies were shiners, and so on. All these were named for what the did. And after Bartholomew of Sandwich, the wretched founder of Regalia, had killed off almost all the diggers by poisoning the diggers, the humans had earned the name killers. The Regalians were not exactly proud of this name, so Gregor was surprised to hear Morris use it.

Morris narrowed his eyes. “I see you are surprised by my use of words. Unlike other killers, I am of the impression that we must accept our title and our past cruelties,” he said. “I am well aware that what Sandwich did was an unforgivable act. And I think that as killers, we should learn of our wrongdoings.” He sighed. “But some people just do not understand that. Back in my time as a council member, I was shocked at how big idiots the other members were. There was only one man, Aithan, who shared the same views as me.” He shook his head. “I am frankly quite glad of our new council. New blood, that was what our council needed. Excellent queen, she is my great-niece, too. Now, I hope I have not bored you with this, boy.”

Gregor slowly shook his head. What Morris had said was beginning to sink in. “No, you haven’t. But, I mean, it’s kind of weird you think like this. Because a lot of other humans don’t think like this, I think.” Gregor realized he was starting to sound stupid.

But Morris just smiled. “Ah, yes,” he said. “Now, I believe I forgot to tell how I befriended Ripred. You see, I was the first to serve him his beloved shrimp in cream sauce. I am quite a cook if I can allow myself to boast. Oh, you should have seen it. He was so overwhelmed by the shrimp that we had to make more as he ate. He devoured twenty-one whole helpings!”

“I bet.” said Gregor “Ripred loves that stuff. He always sticks his whole face in the dish. He won’t let anyone else have some.” He grinned.

“I do not doubt that,” said Morris. “If you ever need a favor from the peacemaker, just bring some shrimp in cream sauce. That is what I always say.”

They’d just passed under a jagged stalactite when Gregor thought he saw light in a cave on the tunnel wall. And sure enough, as they flew closer, Gregor saw Photos Glow-Glow perched on a rock along with an asleep Luvan, scouting the tunnel. He clicked his tongue and detected a bunch of sleeping forms on the floor. An urge to cry out in happiness bubbled his throat. They’d found the others!

Pollux flew over and coasted down. At the sight of them, Photos Glow-Glow snorted. “Now, here you are,” he said. “How dare you leave like that? Here I have had to tolerate their intolerable whining, and then they assign me guard duty? And with that moron, too! Zap takes the next shift. Nobody can change my mind.” With that, he fluttered inside the cave and settled in a corner.

“I must get Ripred,” said Pollux. 

“Yes, yes,” said Morris, and slid off his bat. Gregor and Sixclaw did the same. 

Soon after Pollux appeared with Ripred on his back and landed in the cave. Ripred hopped off and went over and shook Luvan. “All right. We best not wake the rest.”

“Wha — ?” Luvan muttered. He glanced around. “I am dreaming? No, there’s no borin’ cayes in my dreams . . .” His eyelids slid down again, sealing off his eyes from the world.

“Up!” said Ripred. “It’s us. We have returned!”

“All right,” said Luvan. Then his eyes snapped open. “Wait, what? You, here? We thought you to be perilously . . . I mean periodic . . . no, perished in the flames. . . .” He yawned. “Do not tell Dalvick I ‘lept on watch. . . .”

Ripred sighed. “You know, Luvan, just go to sleep. Don’t tell the others about our arrival yet, though. We needn’t wake them for this. They probably deserve a good night’s sleep on top of all this.” 

“Right, I will sleep,” said Luvan. He began stumbling inside the cave, then stopped. “Wait, what about the watch. You said I cannot wake them. I — I can stay awake, sure, sure. No need to bother yourself with findin’ a so — solution.”

“Man, that guy is sleepy,” thought Gregor. He wondered what had happened. Sure, Luvan didn’t seem like such a responsible guy, but most underlanders were good at the watch stuff.

“Go, go,” said Ripred. “We can all see you can hardly drag yourself a yard. For goodness’ sake, go get some sleep.” And for once, the old rat was actually being sympathetic. 

“No, I —” Luvan said, banging a hand into the stone wall to steady himself. “I can do it. I am fully awake for this task and —” He glanced around as if he had caught sight of someone. “Is that you, Uncle? Uncle Cyg?”

Ripred glanced at Gregor. “He is barely even awake,” the rat said. “Go get him inside. Before we know, he might start slashing at invisible enemies and injure himself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Gregor. He walked over to Luvan and grabbed his arm. He felt like he was some kindergarten teacher taking care of a little child. What a job for a warrior. 

They walked into the cave and Gregor pushed Luvan onto the ground. The man curled up as soon as he hit the ground. “Thanks, Uncle,” he muttered. “But you said . . . Wha’? Ravencoat?”

Gregor hurried to walk away from him before he could say something more. Again, he wondered what had happened since Luvan was so sleepy. Besides, how long had they all even been separated? Three hours? Four?

He stepped over a sleeping Mareth and glanced across the cave. All the quest members were asleep on the floor. He spotted Boots tucked under a blanket in a corner, Temp resting by her side. 

A pang of guilt whisked through him. How had she been when he was gone? He crossed to her and sat. In the dull light from Morris’s torch, he could see her eyes were red from crying.

“Maybe I should wake her,” he thought. Then he remembered what Ripred had said. Yeah, it was probably better to let her sleep. He brushed a curl from eyes and kissed her on the forehead. 

Gregor got up and went back out to Ripred and the others. 

“Go to sleep, boy,” Ripred said. “You surely have need of it.”

“No, I —” started Gregor, but then he suddenly was reminded of how tired he was. When had he last slept? He remembered hearing the story of Crookaz the Cook, and the terrifying nightmare that’d followed. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll sleep.”

He settled down at the entrance of the cave and slid onto the floor. He didn’t even bother finding a blanket. Where was his bag? He’d probably lost it in the chaos on the ledge.

“Oh, well,” thought Gregor. “Nightmares, here I come. Here goes nothing.”

But for once, his sleep was filled with good dreams.


	13. Stories

He pulled a picture from his pocket, tears spilling onto the motive. To his horror, the picture split in two, ripping him and Luxa from one another once again. Gregor felt anger bubbling in his veins.

But then something happened. An odd feeling of weightlessness soared through him and he found himself being sucked into the picture. Suddenly, he lay on the floor, face pressed to the stone.

“Gregor?” he heard someone say. “Are you alright?”

Gregor slowly turned his head. No, it couldn’t be . . . could it? 

“Are you alright?” Luxa repeated. With his echolocation, Gregor saw she reached a hand out to him. 

“Yeah, but . . . why are you here?” Gregor let her pull him up and realized he was at the museum. “And why are we at the museum?”

Luxa laughed. “What mean you? It was you who suggested we may go here?”

Gregor felt his cheeks grow hot. Something was familiar about this. “Uh, well, that was because . . . well, I was going to say . . .” he trailed off.

“Say what?” said Luxa. “That you love me?”

Gregor thought his face had the same color as blood now. “Wha’? Bu-but I haven’t told you that yet!” he said.

Luxa cocked her head. “What mean you? You said that months ago.”

Now Gregor was confused. He reached into his memories, trying to place the situation. What had Luxa said? Months ago?

Something struck him. “Wait, what about the prophecy?” he said. “I mean, I took you here because I thought this was the last time I saw you.”

“Prophecies?” Luxa asked, puzzled. “There are no prophecies, nor have there ever been. And what do you mean, the last time you saw me?”

“But the prophecy said I had to kill the Bane, and that I’d die!” said Gregor. “Come on, you know, the prophecy no one wanted to tell me about. ‘The Prophecy of Time’.”

Luxa squeezed his hands. The concern in her voice surprised Gregor. “The Bane? Gregor, who is the Bane? What about killing? You know we do not tolerate violence here.”

“What?” thought Gregor. He was sure there’d been some prophecy predicting he had to kill the Bane. But maybe it was all something he’d imagined? Like some terrible, vivid dream? “Uh, sorry, I’m rambling,” he said. “I had a bad dream where I was this warrior-guy.”

Luxa looked relieved. “Oh, good. I was afraid you had gone insane.”

Then he felt like someone pulled him out of the museum, and all of a sudden he was in a black void, floating. An octagonal window appeared, shooting strings of web toward him. One of them caught his wrist and he was reeled in. Gregor passed through the window. 

And then he saw Ares. A wave of happiness engulfed his body. Ares was alive.

Gregor took a step towards his bat and slung a leg around Ares’s neck. “Ares!” He wrapped his arms around his bond.

“Hello, Overlander,” Ares purred. He lifted into the air and headed for a tunnel. 

“Where are we going?” asked Gregor. But frankly, he didn’t really care. He was just so happy Ares was alive. A big smile crept onto his face.

“You have forgotten? We are visiting Pearlpelt and Ripred,” said Ares. 

“Pearlpelt?” Gregor frowned. For a moment, he thought maybe this was a dream. “Why are we seeing him?”

Ares chuckled. “How come you joke so much today, Gregor?” 

“Don’t no,” said Gregor, shrugging. Okay, if Ares said he acted weird, too, then it was probably right. Besides, who even was Pearlpelt again? “I had a bad dream.”

They chit-chatted for the rest of the trip, and Gregor felt more and more sure the Prophecy-Warrior thing was just a dream. There was no way he could’ve been some killing machine, right? This must be his real life.

Ares zipped through a cave entrance and coasted down. Gregor was about to climb off when something smacked into him, knocking him off his bat.

Smack!

Something fuzzy filled his mouth, and Gregor detected large form on top of him. 

“Gregor! Ares!” a low voice squeaked in his ear. “You’re here!”

Gregor managed to get his head free. What met his eyes was a strange sight.

The Bane, full-size and all, was sitting on top of him, a big smile plastered on his face. The rat got one paw around Gregor and hugged him. “Gregor, Ares! Hi you, hi you, hi you!”

Gregor could only stare as the Bane lashed out, caught Ares’s wing, and pulled him into the embrace. Puzzled, he glanced around and saw Ripred slumped against the cave wall. “What’s up, Warrior?” he said, smirking.

“Uh, can you tell me why the Bane is hugging me?” Gregor asked. He struggled to get free of the giant rat’s grip. Then he spotted something red attached to Ripred’s neck. “And why are you wearing a bow tie?”

“Oh, this?” said Ripred. He scowled. “Didn’t you hear the new law her Highness made? We rats now have to wear a collar at all times. This was the most stylish I could find.”

“Stylish?” Gregor didn’t know Ripred cared for stylishness. “But you didn’t answer my question. Why’s that guy hugging me?” He gestured at the Bane.

Now it was Ripred’s turn to be confused. “Who, Pearlpelt?” he asked. “Don’t be silly, Overlander. You come here three times a day, and then you’re asking why Pearlie is hugging you?”

“But I thought —” started Gregor. He’d thought that — he shuddered — that the Bane, no Pearlpelt, was some monster who’d killed Ares. But maybe that was just some part of that horrible dream, too.

“Gregor, we thought you died!” shrieked Pearlpelt and hugged Gregor tighter. The rat started shaking him. Maybe Gregor should stop him. This was kind of uncomfortable . . . 

“Gregor!” 

Gregor awoke with a start and found he couldn’t move because Luxa had clamped his arms down, pinning him to the ground.

“Where have you been!” said Luxa, glaring at him. “We thought you died! Then you show up here, not even bothering to wake us up. I would have slept better if I had known you were all safe and sound. But no, you have to —”

But Ripred cut her off. “Now, Your Highness, do not blame the warrior. I said not to wake the lot of you up since I guess you probably needed some sleep on top of all this.”

“And does he take orders from you, Gnawer?” said Luxa. 

“Ah, so we are not on first-name terms anymore, my dear?” said Ripred.

Gregor thought this argument was pretty hilarious, but he didn’t dare speak up. Maybe he could just get up and sneak by. Nah, not with Luxa pinning him down. 

He didn’t get to contemplate on that further, though, because something slammed into him, catching his attention. Like in his dream, something fuzzy was in Gregor’s mouth, and he realized someone was hugging him. But unlike in his dream where it had been the Bane, — he’d have to think of that dream later — this time it was Boots. Boots and the Bane. Gregor thought about when the Bane was just a pup, and the whole Underland got him and Boots mixed up. But he just said, “Hey, Boots.”

“Gregor!” she said, popping her head into his view. He could see her eyes were red like she’d cried. A tinge of sadness shot through him. Now that Boots knew what death was, she’d probably understood a whole lot of the situation. He had to ask about what had happened later. But right now, Boots was top-priority. “Hey, little girl,” he said. “How’ve you been?”

“You stupid!” she just said, banging her tiny fist into his ear. “Why didn’t you come on the bat? They say you died!”

“Ow, ow, ow!” Gregor said, but he let her punch him. She was clearly upset about the whole thing; better let her do what she want. 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” said Boots, punching him harder. Gregor wondered if his ear was going to be all red after this. Oh, whatever. It didn’t really matter, anyway. “So,” he said, “what happened while I was gone?”

“Many things, actually,” said Howard who’d come over. “Sit up, and we will explain.”

Gregor managed to get up in a sitting position after he’d removed Boots and Luxa. He realized then that it’d been hours since he’d last eaten (okay, he already knew that). “Anybody got some food?” he asked.

“I figured you would be hungry after your trip,” came a voice from behind, “so here is some food.” Gregor saw Morris stepping into view and sitting a roast beef sandwich down in front of him. “Unfortunately, we are running short on food due to certain . . . circumstances.” 

Gregor didn’t have to wonder to know he was speaking of the fireflies. That reminded him of something. “Hey, what happened to that other shiner, Spark.”

Howard scowled. “That pesky glutton was what got us attacked in the first place,” he said. “Oh, by the way, I have yet to stitch your shoulder wound. I do not think it is inflamed, though.”

Gregor frowned. “What do you mean, got us attacked?” 

“He means the shiner was working with the enemy,” said Ripred. “While we were sleeping that traitor fluttered back to his little friends and —”

“I told you so!” a whiny voice said, and Gregor detected Photos Glow-Glow behind him. “I told you so. But did you listen? No. It is so typical of you humans never to believe us noble shiners. I demand more food!”

“Fofo was right!” said Boots.

“My name is Photos Glow-Glow and I will answer to no other same,” said Photos Glow-Glow. “And where is my food?”

“You have already eaten thrice the amount of food you need,” said Howard. He looked at Gregor. “Now, let me stitch that wound.”

Gregor ate while Howard worked on him, stitching and cleaning his wound. When that had dealt with, Howard asked Gregor to tell his story. 

Gregor gobbled up the last piece of bread and cocked his head. “Why? Can’t you tell what happened here first?” he said.

“For once, the Overlander actually has a point,” Ripred said. He looked around. “There must be a bone or something in here. My teeth need gnawing.”

“Here.” Morris tossed him a round stone. “I know it is not ideal, but it is the best we have right now.”

“So, about what happened after we separated,” said Howard. “The fliers took us to a cave not long from the one we had previously resided in. Although I admit that was a bad choice.”

“Unfortunately,” said Morris, “we soon after were attacked by a band of rats. We had to flee and ended up being chased. And a few times I saw a glimpse of Gregor, Ripred, and Sixclaw, but no one believed me when I said it. After all, why would the Overlander ride on the tail of a rat?”

Gregor felt his cheeks flush. He didn’t really know what the embarrassing was about this, though. 

“So, after some time, we came to this cave,” said Howard. “The rats gave up since they could not reach us.”

“It is not like the rats,” said Luxa. “We will have to be wary of our surroundings.”

“Gregor, Sixclaw, Ripred, tell us your story now,” said Howard.

The rest of the party had woken now, and Gregor saw Lapblood and Flyfur crowding around Sixclaw. He smiled. He wasn’t the only one to be missed, after all. “All right,” he said. “Where should I start?”

“Let me,” said Ripred. He slumped against a wall, crossing his paws, arms, whatever, like a human might do. “After you all flew off we were stuck in the web. So I came up with an idea.”

Gregor thought back to when they were stuck in the web, and how he’d thought it was best if he died. He shuddered. Why had he even thought that?

Ripred rubbed his teeth against the stone Morris had given him. It made this annoying crackling sound, almost like nails on a chalkboard. “I told the pups to gather up spider silk. The plan was to destroy the web and use the silk to climb down to the ground safely.”

The plan had sounded normal — well, kind of normal — to Gregor, but he could see the disbelief on the others’ faces. This was clearly not something they’d ever thought of.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” said Luxa through gritted teeth. “If you had Gregor gotten killed, I would no doubt have tossed you over the side of this cave.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid of falling,” said Ripred. “I had a fool of a bat toss me off at a seventy-feet height yesterday.”

“What?” was the only thing Luxa said.

“Back to the story,” said Ripred. “So, Sixclaw and Gregor got down the wall safely. Meanwhile, I was such a fool to trust a stupid bat to carry us back to you.”

“So you admit you are a fool,” hissed a bat voice behind them. Gregor froze. Then he realized it was just Pollux. For a second, he’d thought Boreas had gotten out of that hole they’d tossed him in.

Pollux and Morris laughed. “How easy you Overlanders are to scare,” said Pollux.

“No more of this!” Ripred said. “Of course, the bat turned against us. He almost killed me because he wanted “revenge”.”

“What bat was that?” said Lapblood, stepping into view. “Fliers are normally not like that.”

“Of course, this one is the exception,” said Ripred. “Boreas. He is still angry at me for killing his bond, Hadley.”

“Boreas?” said a voice. It took Gregor a moment to recognize it as Dalvick’s.

“Yes,” said Ripred. “And then all his comrades arrived. I tell you, I have not seen such stupid people in decades. Their captain was the dumbest. Iago sounds fam —”

“Iago?” interrupted Luvan, who’d apparently come over his sleepiness. “Has Captain Iago joined those idiots?”

“Had,” said Ripred. “As everyone else questioning my ferocity, I killed him.”

Luvan’s face broke into a broad grin. “I should not be glad,” he said, “but Iago deserved it. Did you hear it, Acheloos? Stupid Iago is dead.”

“And then some other stuff happened,” said Gregor. “And there was this guy, Axel, who had an axe.” He gulped. He hoped he’d never encounter that guy again.

“Axel Axewielder?” Mareth crossed to them. Now he was frowning.

“You know him?” said Gregor.

“In fact, I do,” said Mareth. “He was a fellow soldier. And while he had a brain the size of a pea, he was excellent with the axe. Axes are not usual weapon choices among the Regalians. We prefer swords mostly. But Axel chose the axe. Thus his nickname, Axel Axewielder.”

“Yeah,” said Gregor. “Like, he was about to chop my head off.” He flashed back to that moment. “But then . . . Then some scorpions appeared.”

“As in the prophecy!” 

Gregor turned and saw Nerissa, her eyes wide. “What prophecy?” he asked. Then he remembered. He had totally forgotten “The Prophecy of Claw” with all that had happened.

“The creatures who saved a young bat’s life, will stay us loyal and save us twice,” Nerissa quoted.

“Oh, okay,” said Gregor. He wasn’t really interested in this prophecy stuff, given the fact that he hated Sandwich.

“We must move from here quickly,” said Ripred. “I will fill you all in when we are on the bats.”

It only took a few minutes for them to pack up and get on the bats. Gregor got on Aurora along with Luxa, Boots, Temp, and Hazard.

Hades Hall soon started sloping upwards. This must be taxing on the bats, but they didn’t show. They moved slowly, and Boots tugged on Gregor’s sleeve. “Gregor, this is boring. Can I hear another story?” she said.

Gregor wanted to say no. The last story he’d told her was so brutal that he had had nightmares afterward. But all the stories couldn’t be like that, right? “All right,” he said. 

That’s when another problem occurred. Gregor had thought he’d read a story from that storybook, but the book was in his bag which had probably been lost back at the ledge. “Sorry, Boots. The book’s gone.”

“I have got your bag, Gregor,” said Luxa from in front of him. She held the leather bag in the air. “I will get you the book.”

Gregor snatched the book she held up and flipped it open. Trying to find the page with the table of contents, he flicked through the pages. There! He glanced across the titles. David the Rager. No, that was probably not a good choice. As a rager himself, Gregor had learned that both tragedy and war followed ragers. Little Red Riding Hood. Boots already knew that story. The Descent. Gregor guessed that was about the Underlanders’ descent into the Underland, and since he hated Sandwich, he didn’t want to read that one. The Warrior and his bond. Gregor had to close the book at that one.

“You find anything interesting?” said Ripred from Pollux. “Is The Rat Brothers in there?”

Gregor opened the book again and scanned for a story with that title. “No,” he said.

“Maybe it goes by another name. Something with traitor or Cygnus,” said Ripred. But the only thing Gregor could find was The Traitor Prince, and he didn’t have to think to figure that one out.

“Who needs a book when we have an expert storyteller right here?” said a voice from behind. Gregor saw Acheloos flutter towards them, Luvan and that yellow rat on top of him. What was the rat’s name again? Was it Sulphur?

“What do you mean?” said Ripred. 

“He means that I apparently shall tell a story,” muttered Sulphur. “The Rat Brothers.”

“Wait!” said Gregor. There was something he had to know. “Is this thing . . . suitable for her?” He gestured to Boots.

“Sure!” said Luvan. “I tell you, Sulphur’s so good at telling this story.”

“You need to stop making us seem stupid,” said Sulphur. “And yes, it’s suitable.”

“This is a good story, Boy. Sit back and enjoy,” said Ripred. And he actually sounded like he meant it.

“All right. I’ll start,” said Sulphur with a sigh. “Once upon a time, in a cave deep in the rat lands, a gnawer had her first litter of pups. Of these pups, there were two who stood out. One of the two, Ashfur, had a gorgeous dark- gray pelt, almost like ash. The other, Fangash, had your ordinary mud-gray rat fur. What was special about him was his teeth. They were oddly grayed, like stalactites hanging from his gums. This was what made him scary to look at. But Fangash, along with his brother, was actually quite friendly and peaceful.”

Gregor nodded. This story seemed okay enough.

“As they grew older, Ashfur and Fangash joined the army along with their brothers and sisters. Soon, a weary messenger arrived at their cave with the news that their dear mother had had another litter of pups. Ashfur and Fangash got permission to go visit, and so they journeyed back to their childhood nest. There were five pups, but one of these should grow up to become something big. Over time, Ashfur and Fangash would visit their younger siblings, and as that time passed, one pup stood out. His name was Gorger because of his abnormal appetite,” said Sulphur.

Gregor shuddered. He remembered Gorger, the brutal rat king who’d fallen to his death on Gregor’s first visit. Maybe this story wasn’t so good? No, he’d just have to trust Sulphur.

“But apparently, appetite wasn’t the only thing Gorger had,” said Sulphur. His face darkened and his brow furrowed. “He also showed an incredible ferocity and brutality for a pup.”

Gregor thought back to something Ripred had said in the Jungle. “And of course, king Gorger was a bloodthirsty monster from the get-go.” Back then, he hadn’t wondered what that meant. Now he might get to know.

“And of course, Gorger and his siblings got in the army as well. He soon outranked Ashfur and Fangash. Ashfur and Fangash didn’t like him, but he was their brother, after all,” said Sulphur with a scowl. “But then something terrible happened. The current rat king, Bloodstreak, fell ill. A fair king, he isolated himself in a cave. He did not wish to infect his subjects. Back in Bloodstreak’s time, there was relative peace between humans and gnawers.”

“Oh, yes,” said Ripred. “I remember. I had just joined the army at that point.”

Gregor had no clue when this story was set, but apparently, Gorger and Ripred were about the same age.

“But that wouldn’t last,” said Sulphur bleakly. “One day as all others, a echoed across the training fields. It was Ratrunt, the servant of king Bloodstreak, delivering horrible news. “King Bloodstreak is dead!” he said. Ashfur was startled and hurried to find Fangash. But it was difficult, for everything had exploded into chaos. Who would be the new king or queen, now that Bloodstreak had passed?”

“Now I’ll know,” thought Gregor. “Now I’ll know how Gorger became king.”

“Crackbone, the brother and counselor of king Bloodstreak, shouted put a message,” said Sulphur. “He said, “Gnawers! I have gotten news that the humans are planning to break the peace and attack tomorrow! They will no doubt use their best soldier, Cygnus. We will send troops over there and the one who kills Cygnus becomes king. Until then, I will be in charge of the king’s duties.” Of course, many were excited. After all, who wouldn’t want to be king? Well, not Ashfur and Fangash. But Gorger wanted to. But in the night, Crackbone came to Ashfur and Fangash’s cave, pleading them to kill Cygnus before Gorger. Crackbone did not wish for Gorger to become king.”

“But he became,” thought Gregor.

“So Ashfur and Fangash agreed to join the troops to go meet the humans. The next day, they went to the battlefield and fought. And in fact, Cygnus was there,” Sulphur said. “Everyone fought, but soon some realized that the shrieks and screams they could hear weren’t exactly outbursts of pain. They were too shrill, to desperate. So someone hurried down a tunnel and saw the humans’ real plan.”

Gregor had the feeling he was about to hear about another tragedy like the Garden of the Hesperides.

“Another band of humans had attacked quite a few caves housing pups and injured gnawers. Soon both rat and human army saw this carnage unfolding. But one of the most shaken was Cygnus because the ones attacking were his own soldiers, whom he’d trained to fight for a peace, and what was morally right and not. “My own soldiers!” he screamed. And then he turned against his own and tried to save the gnawers. But despite this, there were still some rats who tried to kill him in hope of the throne. And with that I mean Gorger,” said Sulphur. 

Gregor gulped. He’d been right.

“Ashfur and Fangash realized this and hopelessly tried to stop him. As Gorger jumped at Cygnus, Fangash got claw in his back. But Fangash lost grip, and so Gorger sliced a half-circle on Cygnus’s chest. But Cygnus was great at fighting, managing to get up and away. Gorger pursued him, with Fangash and Ashfur hot on his heels. As Gorger leaped again, both Ashfur and Fangash got a claw in his back, pulling him back,” said Sulphur. “But it was too late. Gorger had already sliced into Cygnus’s chest, completing the circle. Cygnus threw himself back, slashing his sword into a human. Then he looked at Fangash and Ashfur, and choked out a few words, “Thank you, but I have failed.” And so the armies fought, and at last, journeyed home. Gorger was crowned king.”

“Poor uncle Cyg,” muttered Luvan.

“Now I recognize you!” said Morris. “You are Cygnus’s nephew!”

“Now,” said Sulphur, “some of us rats have a certain mark symbolizing great wrong and brutality. It is the circle, which we call Gorger’s mark.”

“Gorger’s mark?” said Luxa suspiciously. “I have never heard of such.”

“It’s a rat thing,” said Ripred. “You humans do not use it. Nor do all rats.” He looked at Sulphur. “Tell me one thing. I have never heard such a detailed version of The Rat Brothers. How could you know what Ashfur and Fangash thought?”

Now Gregor thought about it, it was kind of weird since this clearly wasn’t some made-up story.

Sulphur glanced at Luvan. “We trust them,” said Luvan. 

Sulphur sighed. “My father, Ravencoat’s, father was Ashfur the Rat. That means that I am related to both Fangash and Gorger, too. To make this simple, king Gorger was my great-uncle.”


	14. Peacemaker Duties

“Gorger!” Gregor blurted out. “You’re Gorger’s great-nephew? But you look nothing alike!” Sure, Gregor had only seen Gorger once, but he would’ve expected his relatives to look alike. But apparently, this was not the case.

“I have these colors from my mother,” said Sulphur, indicating his fur with a tab of his tail. “I look nothing like my father, either.”

“That is true,” Luvan said. “Ravencoat was all black.”

Lapblood, who’d been invested in a conversation with Mareth, suddenly looked puzzled. Then her face registered realization. “You,” she said to Sulphur. “You do not know two rats, Smasher and Brightsleek, do you?”

Smasher. Gregor tried to remember who that was. Oh, yes. “Flyfur has a mate now. A gorgeous black gnawer called Smasher,” Lapblood had told him on at the start of the quest. Man, how long ago was that? A week? He didn’t know.

“Smasher? Brightsleek? Where do you know them from?” said Sulphur earnestly. He squinted at Lapblood. “Have you met them?”

Lapblood looked like she was trying not to laugh. She straightened her face and glanced over at Flyfur on Nike. “Indeed, I do. You see, my daughter, Flyfur, over there is Smasher’s mate. And Brightsleek wants to mate with Sixclaw, my son.”

“No she doesn't!” said Sixclaw. “She’s not ever said something like that!”

“Not to you, anyway. Or maybe you are just too thick-headed to hear,” said Ripred.

“Smasher has a mate now?” Sulphur said. “And he’s alive?”

“Yes. Brightsleek, too,” said Lapblood. “But where do you know them from?”

“They —” started Sulphur, but he didn’t get to continue.

“They are his siblings, are you stupid?” snapped Luvan.

“Shush!” Dalvick had come over on his bat. “Be polite, Van.”

“Your siblings?” said Lapblood. 

“Yes,” Sulphur said, “but I thought them dead. We were separated in an attack many months ago. We were but pups then.”

“Well, good news, they are both safe and sound,” said Lapblood. “Now, Ripred, you were going to tell Mareth and I what you have been doing on your little ‘trip’?”

Even though that obviously wasn’t the subject of the conversation, Gregor still thought it was weird that Sulphur and Gorger didn’t look alike. On the other hand, he couldn’t exactly call himself a rodent expert. Wasn’t it him who’d asked Ares if the Bane was a mouse when they’d found him in that cave? 

Ares. The Bane. This just brought back memories of that odd dream he’d had. Firstly, it was weird he hadn’t had a nightmare. How funny. Here he was, for once getting a good night’s sleep, and then he was contemplating how on earth that could have happened? Plus, then there was the other strange thing about the dream. Why had he and Ares been friends with the Bane? It made no sense. Shoot, the Bane had even hugged him.

A funny image shot through his mind. Gregor remembered Ripred, slumped against the cave wall, a red bow tie around his neck. What was it he’d said? “Didn’t you hear the new law her Highness made? We rats now have to wear a collar at all times. This was the most stylish I could find.” To think Luxa would’ve made a law like that was so hilarious that Gregor almost fell of Aurora from laughter. 

Someone was puffing him in the stomach. “What is funny, Gregor? Why' you laughing?” 

Gregor patted Boots’s head. “Nothing,” he said, but he couldn’t stop grinning.

“I want to laugh, too!” said Boots. “Tell me what’s so funny!” 

“I had a dream,” he said and pulled Boots onto his leg. “Ripred was wearing a bow tie. He said you’d made a law about it.” Gregor nodded to Luxa. 

“What means this, bow tie?” said Luxa. Gregor realized they probably didn’t have bow ties down here.

“Uh, it’s this thing you tie around your neck,” he said. “It kind of looks like a bow. Those things you put in your hair and such.”

“Is this a form of execution method in the Overland?” Luxa said with a look of confusion. 

“No!” Gregor blurted out. “A bow tie is something you wear! Not an . . . execution method.” Geez, these Underlanders misunderstood a lot of things. Well, you couldn’t blame them. They’d come down, like, four-hundred years back!

They flew without talking in a half hour before Gregor noticed something was wrong. In front of him, Ripred, Lapblood, and Mareth had been conversing in hushed voices. Now he could hear they’d raised their voices. It sounded like Ripred was mad. Like, very mad. Though Gregor could not hear what he was saying, because the rat had switched over what must be Rat. Gregor frowned. Ripred didn’t normally talk in Rat, did he?

“Anybody know what’s going on over there?” he asked.

Luxa shook her head. “No. Hazard, do you understand what Ripred is saying?”

“Some of it,” said Hazard. “He’s talking fast. It’s something about a crawler. And wars.”

Gregor swallowed. He remembered the cockroach Sixclaw had killed, and how Ripred had reacted. He’d wanted to ask Ripred about it, but with all that’d happened, it seemed kind of hard to fit it in. “I’ll ask him about it when he’s calmed down,” Gregor thought. “He’s too angry now.”

When they landed in a cave a few hours later, Gregor decided it was now. As soon as they’d settled down, he went right to Ripred. “Hey,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”

The rat ground his teeth. “Great, now I have to listen to you drawling on about your problems, too.”

“No, it’s not that,” said Gregor and wondered what Ripred meant by “problems.” He led the rat away from the rest of the party. “So, what’s up?”

Ripred cocked his head. Puzzled, he said, “What?”

“What was it you and Mareth and Lapblood were talking about? You looked pretty mad,” said Gregor. “Hazard said it was something about that roach Sixclaw killed. And besides, you’ve been acting really weird for some time now.”

“Look, let’s say this, it’s not easy to be a peacemaker,” said Ripred with a sigh. He scratched his fur. “All these burns itches a whole lot. I’ll hope Howard has some kind of salve.”

He started to head over to Howard when Gregor stopped him. “Wait! What do you mean? I want to know what’s going on.” He knew it sounded kind of childish, but he wanted, too.

“All right,” said Ripred. “But not here. I’ll have Pollux fly us somewhere.”

Pollux flew them a few miles from the cave and deposited them on a stone ridge. “Call when I shall get you.” Then he was gone.

“Okay,” said Gregor. “Now can you tell me what’s up? I mean, what’s the matter with that roach.”

Ripred sighed. “You heard what that crawler said, right? About his brother, Click?”

Gregor nodded. He remembered the cockroach had said something about his brother. What was it again?

“Well, the thing is, from what I know, there is only one crawler called Click in the Underland.” Ripred lowered his voice. “The crawler’s king.”

Gregor had been examining a hangnail on his thumb. Now he pulled up short in his movements and felt his brow furrow. “And that’s bad?” Well, of course, that must be bad. He’d seen how crazy the roaches were about his sister. 

“Yes, it is indeed very bad,” said Ripred. “Though crawlers do not talk often about their family, it’s widely known that king Click was quite fond of his brother, Tack. This could very well be the crawler we — Sixclaw killed.”

“But, like, don’t you kill roaches all the time?” asked Gregor. 

“Yes, but —” Ripred paused. He scratched his ear, grinding his teeth. “The whole problem is that I was with Sixclaw. That I was there and let the roach be killed. That I tried to kill it. I’m supposed to be a peacemaker, you know?”

Gregor nodded, but it really made no sense at all.

“If this gets out, it will matter not whatever we say,” said Ripred. “You know how thin-skinned they are.”

“Oookay,” Gregor said. But there was still something. “But that’s not why you’re acting so weird, is it?”

Ripred was grinding his teeth so hard that it made scraping sounds. “Have you any idea what it’s like to be the Peacemaker, Overlander? Everybody expects me to solve all their little problems like I’m some wizard who can snap his claws and then all is well!” the rat snarled. “Before this, I was feared. People didn’t willingly look for me. But I can’t just say I gave myself the scar, can I? Before I know, some idiot has put together some giant army for the sole purpose to assassinate me!”

“Woah!” said Gregor. And he was really taken aback, too. He’d had no idea it was so demanding to be the peacemaker. But something wasn’t making sense. Would people really treat Ripred like that? “You sure they’re like that?”

Ripred grimaced. “Oh, yes. Oh, yes they would. Frankly, I had no idea that I’d become some new holy figure when I sliced that claw across my face. I even miss being hated!”

It still didn’t make any sense to Gregor, but he had the feeling that Ripred wasn’t lying. Besides, he knew how they adored — probably not the best word, but he couldn’t think of something else — himself. Or, they adored the warrior. He still thought it was stupid they’d fixed his sword.

“So that’s why you were so upset when Sixclaw killed the roach?” said Gregor. “That’s why you’ve been acting so weird?”

“Yes,” said Ripred through gritted teeth. But something about his tone told Gregor that wasn’t all. “Something else is bothering him,” he thought. But he didn’t want to ask. Not now.

“So, should we go back to the others?” he said. He was kind of hungry. Man, he probably should eat some more. But was it his fault that he always got dragged into some sick trouble?

“Yes,” said Ripred. “I’ll get Pollux.”

“Wait!” Gregor said. There was something he needed to ask Ripred about, too.

“What?” said Ripred. He made a sickening scraping sound with his teeth that made Gregor wince. “I thought you wanted to go back.”

“No, there’s something else,” said Gregor. “It’s . . . You know back when you fought Boreas? And tossed him in a hole? Well, maybe it’s just me, but me and Sixclaw thought you were really sadistic. Like, too sadistic.”

Ripred just stared at him. Then he said, “My mother once said this: I would rather be a sadist than a pacifist. Then my father said to her this: But only in times of war the sadist is loved and the pacifist is hated. At peace, no one wants a sadist. They want pacifists to secure the peace.” Then the rat turned away from him and walked over to the edge of the ridge. “Pollux! You can come and get us now.”

And Gregor was surprised to find that what Ripred said was true. Sure, it didn’t even remotely answer his question, but it was exactly one of those pieces of mind that had meaning. Gregor had thought about the things before, too. Well, not the sadist/pacifist part. But after the war had ended — “The war where Ares died,” he thought mournfully — he’d thought that he didn’t belong here nor in the Overland. Because in the Underland, no one would want to have him around at peace times. He was the warrior, an expert of killing, a rager. It hit him that maybe this was not true. Like, from what Ripred had said, people actually liked the rat now. But again, Ripred wasn’t a downright sadist, either. Gregor guessed everyone had some sadistic part deep down inside them.

There was a flutter of wings, and Pollux landed next to him. They got on and the bat flew them back to the others. As soon as they landed, Gregor suddenly felt very tired, and the next thing he knew he was curled up on the stone floor next to Boots, memories of the latest nightmare still clear in his mind.

In his dream, he’d been flying on Ares, when all of a sudden, a figure leaped up and smashed him down. He’d realized it was Ripred. “It’s some sick test,” he’d thought. But then Ripred had brought his claw down and sliced a half-circle of his chest. Gregor had screamed for Ares, but just when he thought help was on its way, the bat had landed on his chest and slashed another cut on his chest, completing the circle. He’d screamed, but no one helped. Now he lay here, bathed in sweat, still feeling the unreal scar on his chest.

Someone had piled some bags up in a corner. Gregor got up and found his, then went to scouring the other bags for food. He knew he probably should ask before he ate, but right now, he didn’t care. When he zipped up one of the food bags, he felt his heart start pounding. They had food enough for maybe one or two days. Less if Photos Glow-Glow and Zap had any say in it.

“They claim the New Council have permissioned them to eat absurd quantities of food,” said Luxa, coming up beside him. “Mareth says that is not the case. But we cannot defy them and risk them flying off, possibly giving away our position.”

“Mm,” said Gregor. The shiners would not care about the others. They did this for food. 

Luxa touched his shoulder. “How fares your arm?”

“My arm?” With all that had happened, he’d forgotten the wound on his shoulder. It hurt kind of when he moved it, but else it felt surprisingly well. “It’s alright, I guess.”

“Why did you and Ripred fly off yesterday?” asked Luxa.

“Uh. . . .” Gregor hesitated. He didn’t know if Ripred would want him to tell her what he’d told Gregor. But because they were bonds she probably knew it anyway. “Ripred told me some stuff,” he said. “He said that people treated him . . . different, now that he was the peacemaker.”

“Yes,” Luxa said. “He has told me, too. I said to him that he might as well get used to it.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Gregor. He laughed. But he didn’t really think that Ripred would just “get used to it.”

They ate a bit, and then Lapblood came over to them.

“You two,” she said, “get packed. We’ll have to leave. There’s not anywhere to run in this tunnel, so we might as well get out.” Then she was gone.

Gregor got on Aurora, and soon they were whizzing through Hades Hall again. He talked a bit more with Luxa about what Ripred had said, but he didn’t think he’d explained it right. Maybe it was better this way.

After a few hours, some of the bats started breaking away from the others and sped ahead of them. 

“Why’re they flying away?” Gregor asked.

“I send Castor and Ouranos ahead to find us a new resting place,” said Ripred. “By tomorrow we should be out of Hades Hall. Our ‘guides’ know of another exit.”

They’d flown for about another hour when Gregor felt Aurora preparing to coast down on the ground. From what he could detect with his echolocation (they were flying without light because Photos Glow-Glow and Zap weren’t willing to cooperate without food), they were about to land on a ledge protruding from an almost vertical upwards slope. There were several other stone slabs jutting out of the stone higher up, and some weird kind of stalagmites came out of the side. Ouranos and Castor were perched on the lower ledge, their passengers having settled on the stone. 

“Let’s get some light,” said Ripred. “Half of us can’t see a thing in the dark. And with that, I mean you humans.”

Someone got a torch lit, and Gregor saw that a thick vine — who knew how it could grow there — led from the ledge to one of the upper slabs. 

The bats coasted down on the ledge. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Gregor realized how crowded there were on this ridge. It wasn’t very big, and with all the quest members, it actually made some kind of crackling noises when someone moved. 

“It cannot hold us all,” said Mareth. “Castor, Pollux, Ouranos, Nike, take your passengers to some of the upper ledges.”

When the bats had gone, Gregor took a few steps, then jumped the highest he could manage and smashed his feet into the stone. It held, making no abnormal sounds at all. He exhaled in relief.

Mareth made a fire and cooked up what little food they had left. Gregor gave his share to Boots since he’d eaten a few hours ago, anyway. She gobbled it up, then started pestering him about another story. “Jus’ one more story, Gregor. One more!”

But he didn’t want to read more. Not after all those disturbing stories he’d already heard. Finally, he got the red ball out of the bag and played a game with her, Temp, Hazard, and Newton. He didn’t really contribute to the game in any way, but Boots insisted on playing with him. “She probably thinks I’m bored,” he thought. At least he could make sure none of them ran over the edge of the ledge. 

Gregor found himself focussing on the other ridges. There were about five clustered together about thirty feet over him. One of them had some kind of cavern behind it, half-hidden by the slope. A sort of fungus grew on the wall, emitting a very faint glow — like, really faint. It didn’t really light up anything, it just was there. Reeking water gushed out of a crack in the wall and gathered in a hollow. The smell must be unbearable of there. Dark spikes jutted out of the floor, and the tip of a fuzzy tail stuck out behind one of them . . . Wait, the tip of a fuzzy tail?!

He looked again, but the tail was gone. But he’d seen something, no doubt. “Hey,” he said, “something’s up there!” He pointed to the cave. 

Ripred sniffed. “I can’t smell anything out of place. But we might as well check. You can’t smell anything with that reek.”

“Okay,” said Gregor. If there was a rat or something up there, the bats would find out. He watched as Nike flew up there. At first, it seemed there was nothing. Then there was a rattling sound, and a rat came flying out, a jagged wound in its abdomen. It screamed all the way to the ground. Nike flew out of the cave with Howard on her back.

“That rat is dead now,” said Howard. “It was trying to leap down at us.”

“Any more?” Ripred said. “Or was he the only one?”

“No, there are no —” Nike said. Her head snapped right. “Some small being is here. I can sense it moving, it is —”

Gregor just caught a glimpse of the tiny rat before it leaped out of the cave. It headed for a lower, where Castor, Ouranos, and their passengers were settled. The rat’s claws sliced into Castor’s wings, leaving two narrow scars. Then it sprang again.

“Get out!” screamed Gregor. “Get out of there!”


	15. The Nibbler Colony

Gregor had no idea what to do. The only thing he knew was that some tiny rat was slicing through the others on the upper ledge. “Get out!” he said again.

Suddenly, Aurora was in front of him and he bolted onto her back. While the rat was on one of the upper slabs, it couldn’t be safe to be here. Aurora whizzed into the air, flying away from the ledges. Gregor looked over his shoulder and realized he was the only one on the bat. 

“Where are Luxa and the others?” he said, feeling panic rise.

“I am getting them now,” Aurora said. She whipped back around, swooped down and grabbed Hazard and Newton off the ground with her claws. She swung them onto her back. “Let them not fall.”

Gregor gripped Hazard’s arms and hauled him up. He braced the boy against himself. Newton clung to Hazard.

Out the corner of his eye, Gregor saw the small rat racing over the ledge. Okay, maybe they’d overestimated the threat. One tiny rat couldn’t kill them all off.

Then, as Aurora dove to snatch Boots, the rat leaped. Gregor felt as if someone had sucked the air right out of his lungs. It was like someone had slowed down time. Gregor could only watch as the rat flew higher and higher in the air. Fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty feet! That was when it finally stopped its ascent, tumbling downwards again. In the glow of a torch, Gregor saw its coat had a light brown, no almost golden color. It landed with such finesse that it almost was like it’d never jumped at all. 

“What a rat,” Gregor said. And that’s when he realized why the enemy had sent particularly this rat. The average Underland-rat could get maybe twelve or fifteen feet in the air. But this little thing could leap double as high. If a bat got near it, the rat could pluck it out of the air as easily as Gregor could wipe a lock hair away from his face. 

It looked like Ripred had realized this, too. “Get in the air, now!” he snarled. “And get away as fast as you can! That thing can rip you out of the air in a —”

A sickening rip tore through the air. Gregor’s head snapped around so fast he thought it might fly off his neck entirely. His hand flew to his sword, but he knew it would be of no use.

The rat had gotten a claw in Ouranos’s velvety wing. It was only Josh on the bat; Travisjakadash must be on another bat. Ouranos’s wings beat in a panicked way, desperate to shake the rat off. But the rat hung on.

“Kill it!” said Mareth. “Andromeda, get me to them!” 

“He can’t,” said Ripred. “Ouranos’s wings are on the way.”

Ouranos soared higher in the air, but the rat hung on, struggling to get onto the bat. The rip in the flier’s wing got deeper with every beat of his wing; the rat wouldn’t let go.

Gregor tried to think of something he could do, but nothing came to mind. He could see Andromeda whizzing towards Ouranos. Maybe they’d make it, and Mareth could kill the rat. But again, how long could Ouranos keep in the air with that wing?

Andromeda was only a few yards from Ouranos and Josh now. Mareth swung his sword . . . and toppled over, dropping off the bat. In the midst of everything, the small rat had wrapped its tail around Mareth’s sword and yanked him off Andromeda. Now it was flicking its tail upwards, drawing the soldier towards it. 

“No!” Gregor said. He wanted to throw himself of Aurora, but he knew that’d be no good. But watching Mareth die . . . that was something he would never have thought would happen. 

Andromeda dove for Mareth, but Gregor knew she might not make it. Even with her speed, the rat could easily cut Mareth’s throat long before she got to him. 

Then something happened. There was a muffled thump, and then Mareth was falling through the air, bloody and frightened, but free. It took Gregor a moment to realize what had happened. While the rat had been focussed on Mareth, Josh had lept from Ouranos and onto it. Now the boy flapped his arms, clinging to the rat. The dagger he’d held fell from his hand and clattered to the ground, leaving him defenseless.

Gregor clutched his sword. Part of him wanted to be relieved that nothing had happened to Mareth. But it wasn’t all over yet. Because while Mareth had Andromeda to come and save him, Josh was stuck hanging on to an enemy rat — which, on top of that, clung to a bat — who knows how high above the ground. Gregor couldn’t pretend he liked Josh, but to see him die like that? That’d be terrible.

“We need a miracle,” he said. But miracles rarely happened twice in a row.

And then, all of a sudden, a knife jutted from the rat’s nose. It shrieked, letting go of Ouranos’s wing. Josh slipped off it, and Ouranos was under him in seconds. There was a short scream as the rat hit the ground. It echoed across Hades Hall, and then there was silence.

Gregor heard Aurora’s wings snap shut, and then they were rocketing through Hades Hall, faster and faster. The speed smacked him flat onto his stomach. He thought Hazard was somewhere beneath him, but he couldn’t be sure at this speed. Echolocation was impossible; he couldn’t focus in here. “Hazard,” he got out, “you there?”

There was a sound to his left, and then Hazard’s voice came from the dark, shrill and distant. “You have got my arm! I’m hanging over her wing!” the boy said. 

Gregor squeezed his arm under his stomach and fumbled for Hazard’s arm. There! His fingers traced the boy’s sleeve, then clamped tight around his wrist. Gregor struggled to turn over on his side. He couldn’t pull Hazard in while laying on his belly. Finally, he rolled over, fastening his other hand around Hazard’s wrist. “Hang on, I’m pulling you over here!”

“I will try,” Hazard said weakly. Gregor pulled back, settling the boy onto Aurora. It was like being out in the currents again. The difference was that now Aurora made the wind.

After a few minutes, Gregor felt Aurora slow down. He sat up and clicked his tongue. From the vague images that slid through his mind, he could see they were approaching some cave in the wall. It wasn’t very deep; it kind of looked like someone had just carved away a few feet of stone and left it like that. 

“Who has the torches?” said Mareth. 

“I have, I will get one lit,” Morris said from somewhere to Gregor’s left. There was a hissing, and then Hades Hall lit up. 

“Everyone, we are to exit Hades Hall now,” said Lapblood. She flicked her tail at the cave. “That’s our way out.”

Now Gregor saw it. There was a crack in the wall, narrow and pitch black. He thought he felt Aurora’s wing shiver, but that might just be something he was imagining. Again, he knew the bats hated cramped spaces. He wasn’t entirely thrilled by the idea of going into a narrow tunnel again, either. Not after Nyx’s passage. 

“The tunnel opens up deeper in,” said Ripred. “It’s about thirty yards long, so you should manage all the way through. Walk single file, and don’t bring torches unless you mean it is absolutely necessary.”

“Why’d we need to bring torches when we have the shiners?” said Josh. Gregor saw that he was clinging extra tightly to Ouranos. Whether the boy was used to flying or not, the encounter with the rat had shaken him a whole lot.

“Oh, yes. The shiners,” said Lapblood through gritted teeth. “Since we are not feeding them enough food, they won’t be guiding us any longer.”

“What?” said someone. It took Gregor a few seconds to recognize the deep growl as the giant mole, Travisjakadash’s voice. “But they were bound for the whole journey.”

“Do never trust a shiner,” said Howard. “There word means nothing if they are not provided sufficient amounts of food.”

“Yes,” said Nike, “Shiners should be renamed ‘Liars’”

Travisjakadash growled something indistinct. He smacked his tail against the wall.

“Shall I translate that?” said Hazard. “He said that — no, I am not saying that, Travis!” 

“Let’s get through that tunnel,” said Ripred. “Everyone, after me!” 

One by one, the bats deposited their passengers at the tunnel. Gregor climbed in and suddenly felt scared. What if this was like Nyx’s passage? What if they’d all just fall in holes and die and — and . . . Wait, where was Boots? She hadn’t been on Aurora, he was sure of that. But where was she then? Through all that had happened, he still didn’t like being separated from her. “Boots!” he called, “where are you?”

Someone bumped into him. “She’s safe,” said Sulphur. “Acheloos got her. Could you hurry up a bit? You’re in the way.”

Gregor picked up a pace and began walking through the tunnel. As Ripred had said, the tunnel got wider about ten yards in. It suddenly struck Gregor that there was no way Travisjakadash could squeeze into this thing. But when he used his echolocation to look, he saw that the mole was easily creeping through the thing. “Must be a mole thing,” thought Gregor. Tunneling . . . wasn’t that what they did all day?

When they were out of the tunnel, they were loaded onto the bats again. Thankfully, this time Boots, Temp, and Luxa were on Aurora, too. Again Gregor felt a sting of guilt. He hadn’t worried about Luxa back at the ledges. If he really loved her, then wasn’t he supposed to worry about her, too? He didn’t know. But whatever the answer was to that question, it would have to wait, because now Boots was hitting him again. 

“Hey, hey! What are you doing?” Gregor said. He gently tugged her hands away. She glared at him. “What have I done?”

“The ball’s gone!” she said, kicking a foot in his gut. “It’s your fault! It was your turn to catch the ball, but you weren’t payin’ attention! It flied over the edge and falled down and down and down!”

Well, it was right, what Boots was saying. Gregor hadn’t really been paying much attention to the game, but he’d thought he had caught any ball flung at him. Apparently, he hadn’t. Or maybe it had happened when he’d been focussed on the tail slung around the stalagmite. 

“Do you have another ball in your bag?” said Hazard.

“I don’t think so, Hazard,” said Gregor. He didn’t want to disappoint the kids, but what could he do? It wasn’t him who’d packed the bag. Plus, there was another problem. “And besides, I don’t even know where my bag is.” He remembered grabbing it in some cave, but he had no idea where it was now.

“I have it,” said Luxa. She held up the leather bag. “There is no extra ball in here, I have checked.”

Hazard looked disappointed. Gregor felt even more guilty. Because, as Boots had said, it was his fault that the ball was gone. “Uh,” he said, “maybe we could make a new one out of, I don’t know, something?”

“Yes,” said Newton. “I do remember we made balls and toys out of moss and vines back when I was a. . . .” He hesitated. “Back in the jungle. My father, Gauss, taught my sisters and I how to make toys and tools out of the surrounding materials.”

“Gauss,” said Luxa. Gregor couldn’t help notice the nostalgic tone in her voice. “I remember Gauss. He was a soldier, was he not?”

“Yes,” said Newton. “He used to be. He planned to go back and fight the rats if war should arise. Of course, when the rats arrived, we thought they might just lead us elsewhere.” He looked at Luxa with this resolved, sorrowful gaze that made Gregor’s heart ache. “He is dead, is he not?”

“Yes. I saw him in the pit myself,” said Luxa. “We saw him die, Gregor and I.”

Gregor thought back to that one terrible moment when he’d realized what was happening to the mice. At first, it had seemed like the mice had a chance of escaping. But when that pyramid crumbled . . . well, then it was all over. And no matter how hard he tried, Gregor couldn’t get those images of the mice clawing and pawing at their throats out of his head. Maybe that was best. It felt wrong to try to forget what had happened to the mice, to forget the spasms wracking their bodies, their throats tightening as they were suffocated, their futile attempts to push this unknown enemy away and —

Suddenly, Gregor felt his throat go dry. It was like he couldn’t breathe. He was a mouse . . . Gauss . . . he had to get out of the pit . . . there was no air, nothing to breathe . . . “NO!” Gregor screamed. “I’m not a mouse!” And then they were all gone, all the weird thoughts of him being a mouse in the pit.

“You. . . . Are you alright, Gregor?” said Luxa. She laid a hand on his arm. Somehow, Gregor felt comforted by this.

“Yes,” he said. But he wasn’t. Not really. “I just . . . I don’t know, I thought I was a mouse. Like, can’t we talk about something else?”

“Yes,” said Luxa. “Perhaps we could gather up some moss of the like for a new ball,” she said to Hazard.

“A ball, the spinner can spin, a ball,” said Temp.

“Yeah!” said Gregor. “That spider, what’s her name again, she could make a ball.” He had the feeling that he sounded a little too enthusiastic, but he really just wanted to think of something else that the mice.

After they had gotten things sorted out with the spinner, Lervox, and the kids had gotten their ball, Gregor asked Luxa something he’d been thinking about. “Hey, you remember back at the ledges?” he said. She nodded. “That rat . . . how could it jump so high?”

Luxa frowned. “I believe they are a special kind of rats known as jumpers. They can leap higher than normal rats, but they are few in numbers. They have always lived very close to the Uncharted Lands, without much contact to the rest of the Underland.”

“Well, not anymore,” said Gregor. “Maybe they’ve allied with themselves with that guy, what’s his name again, you know, the Bane’s son?”

“Scratchblood,” said Luxa. “But perhaps the rat we met was not allied to Scratchblood. It can hardly have been more than a pup.”

“Yeah,” said Gregor. “You know, I don’t really understand why so many people join that Scratchblood-guy. I mean, what’s it he has to offer that’s so appealing? Ripred said even some nibblers have joined him!”

“We do not know exactly,” Luxa said. “It’s still all so new,”

“Yeah,” said Gregor. It didn’t really make sense to him, either. There was something else, though. “Hey, do you remember when the rat tried to kill Josh? Do you know who threw that knife?”

Luxa cracked a smile. “You probably will not believe this,” she said.

“Who?” Gregor asked.

“Nerissa,” Luxa said.

“What?” said Gregor. “But that’s impossible!” That probably wasn’t the nicest thing to say, but he simply couldn’t believe what he was hearing. To think Nerissa — Nerissa, of all people — had flung that knife at the rat . . . there was no way that could have happened. But again, if someone had told Gregor he was a living killing-machine two years ago, he wouldn’t have believed it either. Still . . . this was just too ridiculous. 

“Nerissa’s father was an excellent knife-thrower,” said Luxa.”Back when he was alive, he taught Nerissa . . .” She paused. “He taught Nerissa and Henry how to properly throw a knife. Of course, he died many years ago. I, too, had thought Nerissa had forgotten the act of knife-throwing over time, but apparently, she hasn’t.”

“Well, that makes sense,” said Gregor. But it really didn’t. This did most certainly NOT fit into his prior perception of Nerissa. She was so frail, so unstable, and then she actually knew how to fight? Well, not really. Gregor guessed the knife had been meant to slit the rat’s throat. But still, to imagine Nerissa perched on a bat, a knife in her hand . . . that was just — 

“Something’s wrong,” said Lapblood, her voice flipping off the various cave walls.

“What mean you?” Mareth said.

“She means this is not the usual smell of nibbler,” said Ripred, taking a deep sniff. “There’s blood in the air.”

“Nibbler?” Gregor asked. “What do you mean, nibbler?”

“We are supposedly near a nibbler colony right now,” said Luxa.

“There are colonies out here?” Gregor asked incredulously. He thought there were only colonies in the jungle and at the Fount.

“Yes, this is one newly established,” said Luxa. “We have put a great deal of work into establishing new colonies as a remedy for those taken over by the twisters in the jungle.”

“There’s most likely been a fight in this one,” said Ripred. “Or someone has cut themself up and lost an awful lot of blood. We might as well go check it out, now we’re here.”

A few minutes later, Aurora swept around a corner and fluttered into a vast cave, coasting down. Gregor got off and looked around. At first glance, everything seemed alright. He took a step forward and slipped. His fingers slammed into something murky. Blood. And that’s when he realized that this colony was very much not alright.

Everywhere Gregor looked, there was blood, blood, more blood. Blood on the walls, blood on the ground, blood dripping down from the different stalactites and ledges. Shoot, there was even blood mixed in a spring that pooled in a pit on the ground! And that was if you didn’t count the bodies. Because wherever there was blood, one or more maimed mouse body lay, wounds still spitting blood. 

“No!” Luxa had leaped off Aurora and was racing towards the nearest mouse body. Gregor got to his feet and stumbled after her. As he reached the mouse carcass, he pulled up short. A wave of nausea washed over him. 

Luxa kneeled at the mouse. “He is long dead,” she said and shook her head. “I had thought this was over.”

Gregor nodded. He forced himself to look at the bloody mouse. Its mouth was forced open by a jagged stone that jutted out of its nose, and a fish was locked in between its teeth. Something had torn its chest opened, the organs ripped apart. The tip of a blade was lodged in the mouse’s temple.

“I’ve underestimated Scratchblood,” said Ripred. “Perhaps he’s even worse than my dear Pearlpet.”

“He always was,” said Sulphur. “He always was much worse than Pearlpelt. He was raised to be as such.”

“What do you mean?” said Gregor.

“Forget it,” said Sulphur. He walked away.

They searched the rest of the nibbler colony, then gathered around a fire and ate. Mareth went down a tunnel to fill the waterbags from a clean spring, and the bats fished. Though he was hungry, Gregor couldn’t focus on eating. It was as if every time he looked at his food, he saw the bloody fished stuffed in the mouse’s mouth. At last, he closed his eyes. Somehow, this was better.

“Are we to rest here?” asked Howard.

“Yes,” said Ripred. But even he seemed to flinch slightly at the ravaged colony.

“No,” said Luxa. “That will be horrible for the mice.”

Gregor guessed she was right. It wasn’t fair that Archimedes and Newton had to spend the night surrounded by dead mice. It was just too cruel. Shoot, even now the mice looked terrible! Newton had burrowed his head in Hazard’s shirt. In the end, he barely was more than a pup. Archimedes, on the other hand, had moved away from the group and was squeaking quietly, his paws pressed against his chest.

“What’s he doing?” Gregor asked. 

“It is the Grand Farewell,” said Luxa. “Also called “The Summoning of Nicomachus.” It is how the nibblers say farewell to the ones who have died in brutal bloodshed, and cannot be buried.”

“Who’s Nicomachus?” Gregor said.

“According to ancient nibbler tales, Nicomachus was a great nibbler soldier. He was greatly offended when his fellow soldiers were not allowed to be buried after their deaths,” said Luxa. “Legends say that he found a magnificent cave deep in the Uncharted Lands, the Cave of the Fallen, and brought the fallen soldiers to rest there. Before he died, Nicomachus said that he would continue laying the dead to rest there even in death. That is why the nibblers say the Grand Farewell to summon Nicomachus’s ghost, so he can bring the dead to rest at the Cave of the Fallen.”

“Wow,” said Gregor. Frankly, he hadn’t known the nibblers where so . . . well, so superstitious.

They’d just finished eating when Gregor thought he heard something. It was just a faint rustle, but in the awkward silence that had fallen over the camp, it was enough to make everybody jump.

“Someone, go check,” said Ripred. “It’s impossible to smell anything in this reek of nibbler and blood.”

“I’ll check,” said Gregor. He got up from his seat and walked towards the sound. Frankly, it was more to get away from the others than anything. He needed some time with his thoughts.

But as he peeked behind a jagged stone formation, Gregor knew he would have no time to contemplate right now. “Guys!” he called. 

Behind him, footsteps came rushing towards him. Gregor found Luxa and Ripred standing beside him. But he couldn’t take his eyes off what was in front of him.

There was a nibbler, smeared in blood like the others, bracing itself against a wall. Its chest had received a nasty cut that went all the way down to its belly. Gregor was no doctor, but he was pretty sure no one could survive such a cut. Not in the Underland at least. On the other hand, Gregor had survived something like that. But this mouse . . . it looked ready to die.

“Help — take them,” the mouse said, spitting blood in between the words. “Take — take them.”

“Who?” Luxa asked, leaning closer. She offered her hand. “We can help you, nibbler. My cousin is a doctor.”

“No,” said the mouse. “Take — them.” Trembling, it struggled over on its belly and reached into a tiny hole in the cave wall. It pulled out a strange kind of basket made of moss and some sort of bone.

Gregor felt his stomach lurch. He had a feeling of déjà vu. Because in the basket lay three bloody mouse pups. 

“T-take them!” the mouse said, and toppled forward. Luxa hurried forward and caught it. “Take the pups.” Then its ragged breathing ceased. But even though it was dead, the mouse’s face was still locked in a final, determined mask of stone.


	16. Chapter 16: There’s cutter in the air

For a moment, they all just stood there. Then Luxa slowly released the mouse and stepped back. “We should take the pups.” Her voice was hollow.

Gregor bent down and grabbed the basket. The pups squeaked fearfully. After all that must’ve happened to them today, he guessed they must be pretty wary of strangers.

They walked back to the camp. As soon as Howard saw the pups, he went straight to work. “Someone, get my medical kit!” he shouted.

Gregor didn’t want Boots to see the mice, but she seemed to be hiding away, anyway. He still went over to check on her, though. “Hey, you okay?”

“Mouses sick,” she said. “They’re injoor’d”

“Yeah,” said Gregor. “They’re injured.” But he couldn’t focus. So many things were happening right now. For once, he actually wanted to go home. To just be a kid in the Overland without having to worry about getting attacked all the time. 

They sat in silence as Howard worked on the pups. Gregor traced his fingers along his legs, then his chest and arms. It took him a moment to realize he was following his scars. They were so many that almost everywhere you touched him, you could feel the jagged edge of one under the clothes.

“Fetch me a water bag,” Howard said. Gregor grabbed one of the heavy bags and stumbled over to the doctor, setting it down. 

“Thank you,” said Howard. “Can you soak this moss?” He held out a handful of deep green moss. “It is cleansing.”

Gregor opened the bag and poured a few drops of water at the moss. 

“Good,” Howard said. He dabbed the moss at a gash in one of the mice’s paws. “They do not seem to have a lot of injuries, the pups. They must have been shielded from the brunt of the attack.”

“Yeah, that mouse who gave them to us had them hidden in some crack in the wall,” said Gregor. 

After some time, Howard called out, “Hazard, come over here! I need you to speak to the pups.”

Hazard walked over. “Can you tell them to tell us their names?” asked Howard.

“Yes,” Hazard said. He squatted down and squeaked. After a few timid moments, the biggest of the pups, a black-and-brown-speckled mouse, squeaked back. “He says his name is Russell. These are his brothers, Sikdar and Thales. Their mother’s brother, Taliaferro, was supposed to look after them when the attack came. He hid them away and protected them.”

“Taliaferro.” Howard glanced at Luxa. “Do you recognize that name, Cousin?”

“No,” she said. “But I believe he may have been a skilled craftsman. That would explain the basket.”

“Yes, it is not sloppily made as most of these baskets,” said Howard and gestured to the moss basket.

“What’s this thing even made of?” Gregor laid a hand on the basket. “Looks like some kind of moss and bone.”

“It is a crafter-basket,” said Luxa. “It is made of moss pressed against a framework of fish bones. It is quite a useful invention since you do not need many materials or any specific level of skill to make one.”

“Why’s it called a crafter-basket?” Gregor asked. To him, it sounded kind of dumb, but he didn’t want to say that in front of the others. Shoot, this could be some holy thing for them.

“It was invented by the crafters, a species that used to reside here many centuries ago. They were skilled craftsmen, thus the name, crafters, and invented many practical things. Now, they live deep in the Uncharted Lands,” Luxa said. “About once or twice a year, one or two of them journey to Regalia to trade.”

“Why’ve I’ve never heard about the crafters?” said Gregor. He had a suspicion that this might involved some other cruelty like when Sandwich poisoned the diggers’ water, but it seemed he was wrong

“We — well, we hadn’t thought this knowledge would be of use to you,” said Luxa. “Since crafters so not play a vital role in the Underland — exclusive the Uncharted Lands — we did not think you had to know.”

That made Gregor wonder what kind of animal the crafters were. And since he knew almost nothing, they could be anything, badgers, rabbits, even birds! The name “crafter” didn’t say much. And because there was such a difference in Underland animals and Overland animals, crafters may not even be good at making things in the Overland.

When Boots came over to him and began jabbing his arm, he was almost grateful for not having to ponder on the crafter thing anymore. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Can I play with the mouses?” she said and pointed at the pups. “Like in the nursery.”

Frankly, Gregor didn’t know. He thought the mice might need rest, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. “Hey, Hazard!” he called. “Can you ask the mouse pups if they want to play with Boots?”

“Yes,” the boy said. He let out another series of shrill squeaks. At first, the pups hesitated. Then the biggest pup, Russell, squeaked back. “It’s okay with him,” Hazard said.

“Alright, Boots,” said Gregor. “You can go play.”

Boots squatted down and reached out to pat one of the pups, a white one. The mouse hung back and glanced to Russell, who squeaked. At that, the white mouse crept forward and onto Boots’s lap. “Oh!” she said as its tiny muzzle brushed over her hand. “What’s your name?”

The mouse cocked its head. “You have to ask him in Nibbler,” Hazard said. He squeaked and looked at Boots. “Your turn.”

Boots pushed her cheeks back with her fingers and let out a squeak almost identical to the one Hazard had made. The white mouse grimaced.

“I think you asked him if he likes bathing in fish insides,” Hazard said with a sound of disgust.

Gregor resisted the urge to gulp. This was just too much. How could “What’s your name?” and “Do you like bathing in fish guts?” sound so alike in Nibbler?

“Perhaps you should do the translations, Hazard,” said Luxa. “We do not want to offend or scare the nibblers.”

“Yes, I do not think these pups need to have more memories to turn to nightmares,” Howard said. “Do not worry Boots. You did nothing wrong. If it had been me, I am sure I would have said something even stranger.”

“By the way, his name is Sikdar,” said Hazard, pointing to the pup. 

“Sick-dah?” Boots said.

“And that is Thales.” Hazard gestured to the last pup, a stony gray mouse. “The big one is Russell.”

“Sick-dah, Fails, and Ross-ail,” Boots said happily. “Mice want to play with me!” She flopped onto her stomach and stroked the white pup. It squealed and skittered onto her back.

Gregor stepped back and leaned against a wall. For now, he was content just looking at the kids playing. Again, he found himself tracing his scars. He had the feeling he might be building a habit, but shoot, he could worry about that later. Now he’d just sit back and do nothing. Sometimes there was just nothing better than that. 

They were playing a squeaking game now, the kids. If Gregor was right, it was something about squeaking the shrillest. Of course, it could be something entirely else, too. Gregor couldn’t speak Mouse. It didn’t bother him, though. He wasn’t even sure he could make those high sounds.

After fifteen minutes of constant squeaking and wailing, Gregor realized this might be bothering someone else. He glanced at the rats. Lapblood was talking quietly with her pups, while Ripred was seemingly nowhere to be found. “Must’ve had Pollux fly him somewhere,” Gregor thought because Pollux and Morris were gone, too. Then there was only Sulphur left. But when he glanced at the rat, Gregor saw that not only was the rat tolerating the mouse-squeaks, he was literally sleeping! “How can he sleep,” muttered Gregor.

“One learns to tolerate much noise when living with these too,” said Acheloos who had heard what he said. He pointed a wing a Luvan and Dalvick. “Luvan can barely keep quiet for a second.” 

“Why, that is not true!” blurted Luvan.

“As I said, you cannot shut up,” Acheloos said.

Luvan scoffed. “And you will not stop insulting me!” 

“Overlander, do you know a way to shut those two up?” said Dalvick.

“Maybe you could muzzle them?” Gregor suggested, then realized what he’d just said. “Geez, now I sound like Ripred.”

“It’s not a shame to sound like someone else,” Dalvick said. “Come over here, you must have something better to do than watching a bunch of pups squeaking at the top of their lungs.”

And since he, as Dalvick said, didn’t have anything better to do, Gregor got up and walked over to Dalvick. 

“Your boot is ruined,” the man said. 

First Gregor didn’t know what he was talking about. Then he saw the jagged rip in the sole of his right boot. He must’ve ripped it somewhere. “Damn, that was my new boots,” he said.

“Lervox, can you come down here for a second?” Dalvick called.

For the first time, Gregor noticed the makeshift web that had been spun in a corner of the cave. Now the spider, Lervox, dropped down and landed on the floor. Gregor shuddered. Those giant spiders still creeped him a bit out.

“Lervox, I had thought you might be able to fix this boy’s boot,” said Dalvick to her. “Just a bit of silk here and there.”

The spider nodded. Gregor sat down and offered her his boot. Silently, she spun a tiny web over the rip. 

Now Gregor remembered something. When they’d been taken prisoner by the spiders on his first quest, they’d escaped by using a mix of a risky move called the Coiler, and Boots’s tantrum. It was quite a bit of time ago, but if Gregor remembered right, spiders really didn’t like loud noises.

“Hey, you okay with the all this noise around?” he asked Lervox. He didn’t want the kids to make her uncomfortable or something. He’d had enough angry spider for a lifetime. 

“It is as Acheloos says,” Lervox said in that eerie spider-voice. Gregor felt a chill run down his spine. “I have, on the contrary to my fellow spinners, learned to tolerate much noise. It pains me, still, but I can endure it.”

“Oh,” said Gregor. Well, it made sense. From what he’d perceived of Luvan and Dalvick (and their bonds!), they were quite a noisy team.

Over at the other side of the cave, Luvan and Acheloos were still throwing insults at each other. “And that man is my brother,” said Dalvick. “Sometimes, I really cannot believe that he is older than me.”

“Me too,” said Gregor. For a man in his, what, thirties, Luvan really was quite immature. Dalvick, too, but not all the time like Luvan.

“You might think we are strange,” said Dalvick. “Way too optimistic for a pair of Underlanders.”

That pretty much summed up Gregor’s perception of the brothers.

“Just because one experiences some tough things, it does not mean one has to lose one’s light-heartedness,” Dalvick said. “You have heard about the Garden of the Hesperides, am I correct?”

“Yeah,” said Gregor. 

“Luvan and I were soldiers at that battle, too,” said Dalvick. “That’s what finally changed our minds about fighting. I do not like fighting. But I still want to help in battles. When someone attacks Escevanville — which, in fact, happens a lot — we get the wounded away. Acheloos and Asclepius do great acrobatics, and you have seen Sulphur run.”

“Yeah, he’s really fast,” said Gregor. “How’d you meet him, anyway?” This was something that had nagged Gregor. It looked like Luvan and Dalvick had known Sulphur for a long time, which meant they’d been friends back when the humans and rats had been at war. And since humans and rats generally didn’t get on very well with each other, it was actually quite weird.

A huge smile broke out on Dalvick’s face. “What have I done?” thought Gregor. He had a good idea that a long talk was coming.

“See, Sulphur isn’t actually his real name,” said Dalvick. “His actual name is Sulphurshard, but everybody calls him Sulphur. I believe it was a nickname made up by his brother, Slashclaw. And I might add that Sulphur did not exactly like Slashclaw.” 

“I didn’t know you used nicknamed very much down here,” said Gregor. It didn’t seem to fit the Underlanders’ clipped speech pattern.

“We do, in fact,” said Dalvick. “But you asked how I met Sulphur. Well, it all began when Luvan and I, along with some other soldiers, were sent out to scout an area of the rats’ land.”

“But I thought you didn’t like fighting,” said Gregor. “Didn’t you just say that?”

“Yes, but one cannot just get out of the Regalian Army so easily. Not in times of war, anyway,” Dalvick said. “But see, at this time, Asclepius and Acheloos had both injured their wings in a prior attack, so they had to stay home. Luvan somehow smuggled Lervox with us, I do not know how. But see, when we were scouting out there, all of a sudden, we were attacked by four rats. Or, well, it was only two of the rats who really attacked us.” He winked. “Sulphur’s two brothers, Slashclaw and Skullcrusher.”

“And you killed them,” said Gregor blankly.

“Yes, but not straight ahead. I didn’t want to do the two others anything. They were not attacking. But Underlander minds rarely work as mine. So the others went to attack them all. I got injured, Slashclaw got a claw in me. I might just add that these rats were pups at the time. That just made everything worse. But see, Sulphur and the other rat, who I might add was called Rocksnout, see they actually tried to defend us from Slashclaw and Skullcrusher. But at last, Skullcrusher injured Rocksnout greatly, and Sulphur tossed Rocksnout away so he could escape. Luvan then loaded me onto Sulphur and he ran. How that happened is not of your concern,” Dalvick said.

“What?” thought Gregor. To him, that stream of words that’d just gushed out of Dalvick’s mouth made as much sense as Boots’s garbled cockroach-talk. If he’d gotten it right, Sulphur had turned against his own brothers and helped Luvan and Dalvick. “Note to self,” Gregor thought. “Never ask Dalvick about anything personal again.”

But he didn’t get to ask Dalvick further, because suddenly, there was a whoosh of wings, and Pollux landed in the cave. Ripred emerged from on top of him. 

“We’ll have to move,” he said. “There’s cutter the air. They’ve been gaining on us for some time now. A pity we didn’t realize sooner.”

“What?” said Gregor. “Scratchblood’s sent ants after us?”

“Sent and sent,” said Ripred. “The cutters act on their own more or less. Though I’ve heard something about some promises of more land that should keep the cutters in place.”

“I have not heard anything about that.” Luxa narrowed her eyes. 

“Oh, I have my contacts,” said Ripred. But there was a slight uncertainty to his tone that made Gregor uneasy. “Now, pack up, and let’s go.”

They got their things gathered together, then loaded onto the bats. Soon they were zipping through tunnels and caves again. Frankly, Gregor was glad to leave the ravaged nibbler colony behind. It was too much for both him and the mice to see such a sight.

After about half an hour, they landed at a broad stone beach next to the gushing river that ran past Regalia. There was a deep cave behind the beach, with three tunnels branching off in different directions.

“We’re just stopping hear to fill the waterbags,” said Lapblood. “Stretch your legs if you may wish, but be ready to move soon. Those cutters are hot on our heels, and we shouldn’t be ambushed again.”

Aurora skid to a stop on the beach. Gregor bundled up Boots and sat her down. “Hey, you thirsty?” he said.

“Ye-es!” she said. He took her hand and walked her to the river. Careful not to fall, he scooped up handfuls of water for him and Boots.

“Can we swim, Gregor?” Boots said. She reached towards the water. “Like pool?”

“No, you can’t,” said Gregor and quickly moved her away from the water. “It’s too wild. There’s a stream.”

“It’s a bad river?” said Boots.

“Yes, bad river,” agreed Gregor. 

“Where’s mice?” Boots asked. “Can I play with Sik-dah, Fails, and Ross-ail?”

“Don’t know, Boots. We’re only staying here for a bit,” Gregor said. Frankly, he didn’t have an answer to her question. And besides, what were they even going to so with the mouse pups? Take them on the quest? 

“Hey, what are we going to do with the pups?” he called out.

“I do not know,” said Luxa, walking over to him. “Perhaps we could bring them to a nearby colony or settlement.”

There was a flutter of bat wings, then a small, brown bat landed before them. “Uh. . .” he said.

“What, Castor?” Luxa said with slight disdain in her voice.

“I had thought that . . .” Castor hesitated and swallowed. “Well, I believe I can fly the pups back to Regalia. My wing is torn, anyway. Perhaps I could take Nerissa, too?” 

Luxa looked relieved. “Oh, yes. Thank you, Castor. I will ask you a favor, though. May you bring Archimedes, too?”

“Yes,” said Castor. “I will bring them to Regalia, and bring news of the destroyed colony.” He bowed his head and glanced between Gregor and Luxa. “Now, I . . . should probably apologize. I used to treat Ares badly . . . which I know was not different from what many others did, but . . . I feel terrible. Pollux, my brother, told me many times that I should treat Ares with respect. So . . . sorry.” Then he fluttered off.

Gregor felt content. He didn’t exactly like Castor, but this certainly changed his opinion of the bat. He didn’t remember anyone else ever apologizing for treating Ares badly.

They watched as the ones who should return to Regalia climbed upon Castor. Then Hazard skittered over to Luxa. Russell clung to his shoulder.

“Luxa, Russell does not want to leave. He’s going to stay, if it’s alright,” Hazard said.

Gregor frowned. “You think that’s okay?” If it’d be him who should choose, he’d say Russell should be taken to Regalia with the others. But he wasn’t queen, so it was up to Luxa. Still, what if they came back and Russell was injured, or worse, dead! Maybe his parents still were alive.

Luxa took the mouse from Hazard. “But why is it that you want to stay, Russell?”

Russell squeaked silently. Then, looking as if it was a great struggle to say the words, he said, “I want stay fight. Avenge Taliaferro.”

“You can speak!” Gregor blurted, then realized that sounded rude. “I mean, I thought you only spoke nibbler!”

“Speak both,” Russell said. “Not good Human.”

“If you wish so Russell,” Luxa said, “then you can stay. But know, you may lose your light.”

Russell nodded with a determined look on his fuzzy face.

Hazard went back to Castor with Russell.

“Gregor, I have to go talk with Ripred,” said Luxa. “We have to discuss what we will do with the cutters.”

“‘Kay, you need my help?” Gregor asked.

“No,” she said and walked away.

Gregor was left by the riverside with Boots, who was pulling faces at her reflection in the water. Maybe he could take her on a walk down the beach. No, she’d think that boring. After all, she wasn’t two or three anymore. Still, he didn’t want her tumbling into the water or something. Maybe he could fetch Temp and have him watch her . . . Yeah, that was it!

“Hey, Temp!” he said. “Can you watch Boots or something? Make sure she doesn’t fall into the water?”

“I will, the princess watch, I will,” the cockroach said, scurrying over by the riverside.

“See, Boots, you want to ride on Temp?” Gregor said and scooped her up. He gently sat her on Temp’s shield. “Just don’t go too near the river,” he whispered to the roach.

As he watched the two run out to play, Gregor realized how grateful he was for Temp. At first, the cockroach hadn’t seemed like much to him, but now . . . Well, he was practically family now! And it wasn’t only that he watched out for Boots. He watched out for them all. Too bad they never listened to him. 

“For there is no one among us who perceives danger so quickly and accurately as you do. Or meets it with such courage,” Luxa had said once.

And it was true. Temp was really brave. If Gregor was right, the crawlers were mostly known as weak cowards by the other people in the Underland. At least by the rats and the humans. Temp must be a real lionheart among the roaches.

But wouldn’t all roaches be like this if they had Boots to protect? They seemed to worship her like she was some queen or something. Princess. She was the princess. But still, wouldn’t every crawler do its best to watch out for Boots?

“No,” he thought, “not in the same way.” Because even though they would protect her, it was because they worshipped her, thought she was someone who’d give them time. But Temp . . . there was something more, something he couldn’t quite place. It was sad to think of, but if need be, Gregor knew Temp would give his life so Boots could make it out alright. Tick had done so.

Tick. Argh, why had he thought of her? Now he just felt sad. Boy, had he not expected her to do what she did. He’d felt weird for crying over a cockroach back then. But all in all, what shame was it to cry over someone who’d just sacrificed themself to save your sister? 

Preoccupied with his train of thought, Gregor hadn’t realized Temp had stopped by his feet and deposited Boots on the ground.

“We leave, says Ripred, we leave,” Temp said. “Cutters bad.”

“Yeah,” said Gregor and scooped up Boots. “Oh, and Temp? I just wanted to, you know, say thanks. For everything. I mean, I don’t know if I’ve ever really thanked you before, and I mean, shouldn’t I be doing that? Because you’re always there for Boots, for us all. If we’d listened to you some more, I’m sure so many hadn’t died.” Damn, that sentence hurt to say.

Temp said, “Thank you, Overlander, thank you.”

“No, really, thanks!” Gregor smiled. “It’s not you who’s supposed to thank me. I’m just really grateful for all you’ve done.”

Temp was quiet. Then his antennas twitched, whirring all around. “Cutters are coming,” he said, alarmed. “Move fast, we move, fast.”

“Okay!” Gregor tightened his hold around Boots and ran for Aurora. 

Smack! There was fur everywhere, in his eyes, in his mouth, everywhere. Gregor tumbled backward.  
“Watch your clumsy feet,” said Ripred with a snarl.

“I_didn’t see you,” Gregor said. “But listen, Temp says the cutters are coming. We have to get away.”

“Yes, don’t you think I know?” the rat snapped. “Now get on your bats, everyone! We have to get out of here, now!”

Gregor regained his bearings and stumbled to Aurora. Behind him, he heard Ripred curse under his breath. Then he pulled up short. “What?”

“What, are you talking to me?” said Ripred.

Gregor wasn’t sure, but he was pretty sure he’d just heard Ripred say something like, “I knew we’d get ambushed more than once.” Shoot, what did that even mean? “Why do you know we’d get ambushed a lot?”

“Contacts, spies,” Ripred said. “Everything leaks nowadays.” But his voice was uncertain. Lime there was something he wasn’t saying.

“How did you know?” Gregor said. Everything in his body was screaming for him to just let it go and get onto Aurora, but his veins were buzzing, and so he simply couldn’t let go. “How did you know?” He was practically shouting now.

“Listen, we don’t have time for this, we — !” Ripred glared at him. “Now look what you’ve done.”

Gregor suddenly felt dazed. He couldn’t focus. His vision was starting to turn red. He blinked a few times, then realized it wasn’t his vision. Ripred’s voice echoed in his head. “Now look what you‘ve done.”

Gregor clenched Boots tighter. She just looked puzzled at him. “Ants bad?”

“Yes, Boots, ants very bad,” Gregor said. Because filing out of the three tunnels were dozens and dozens of ants.


	17. Chapter 17: Battle at the beach

“Aurora, take Hazard and Boots to Regalia!” shouted Luxa. “Bring Newton too, if possible.”

“But it’s not possible,” growled Ripred. “You’ll have to fly down the river, and I smell guards a half a mile away.”

“So that means . . .” Gregor gulped. He didn’t like this. He really didn’t like this. One thing was that he would have to fight, another was that Boots would have to be here, in the midst of a battle.

“Temp, herd the pups over in some corner!” Ripred said. Great, now he was back to war-mode. “Mareth, Sulphur, Dalvick, Flyfur, you guard them. You who have bats, fly above.and try to take down as many as you can. I want a five-point arc, no actually . . . Lapblood, you come up here beside me. Gregor’s on our right, I want Sixclaw taking left. Spinner, do what you like as long as it contributes to the battle. And you . . .” He looked at Travisjakadash. “You, I want you to just take down as many cutters as you can. You can do stuff with those claws of yours.”

Gregor scrambled over to his spot diagonally behind Ripred as everybody got in place. As she whizzed by him on Aurora, Luxa whispered a “good luck” to him, then she was gone.

The cutters were advancing now. They swarmed out of tunnels, quickly filling the cave. Gregor drew in a shaky breath, then yanked his sword out of his belt. He was ready. Ready to fight.

The first cutter that reached them was quickly sliced apart by Ripred. The rat’s feet started to pivot. Gregor saw Lapblood bare her teeth. Above him, the humans were clenching their swords. Even Travisjakadash seemed to be preparing to fight with all he had.

Gregor fastened his grip around the sword. Even though the first cutter he killed hadn’t even come with a two-foot reach of him, he still felt terrified. Because where one cutter fell, many would swarm to, as to avenge the fallen. He felt a mandible brush his leg, and quickly pushed his sword through the ant. Damn, it stuck to the sword. He had to swing it around several times before the cutter fell off, allowing some of the other ants to get a few hits in on him (or maybe bites was a better word). It must have looked funny because Sixclaw was laughing. “Hey, it’s not fun!”

Gregor felt something tugging at his boot and found that one of the cutters had bit into the material, pulling back. He shook his foot and planted it on another ants head. There was a nasty crack. Gregor swung around his sword and ran it right through two cutters. Man, this was going well.

His body was feeling hyped now, too. He felt the familiar rager sensation come over him. Buzzing veins, split vision. There wasn’t the white noise sound this time. He smiled, the realized how wrong that must look. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wipe that grin off his face. Even if he didn’t like fighting when he was in a normal state of mind, the rager mode just brought loads of happiness to his body. It annoyed him, but what could he do?

He swung around to get in a better position to strike when suddenly something biting into him. A bolt of pain shot through his leg. He whirled around to face the ant and severed its head cleanly. “That was close,” Gregor thought. He could almost hear Ripred scolding him. “Watch your back, Overlander!”

Then Gregor realized Ripred was actually shouting at him. “Behind you, Gregor!” Damn. In his eagerness to kill as many ants as possible, he’d forgotten to look behind him. Now, as he turned his head — slowly, it was like he couldn’t do it faster — he caught sight of at least a dozen cutters, ready to strike. He didn't get to react, then they were over him. Mandibles grabbed him everywhere, ripping his flesh. Gregor jabbed his sword at the mob in vain. Because no matter how many times he pierced a head or severed a leg, it was like the fallen ant had never died. His hope began to die down, and with it, the rager sense. Man, how was he supposed to get out of this? As it was, he could barely defend himself. If he hadn’t been a rager, he probably would be dead now.

The thought alarmed Gregor. Suddenly, the buzzing that had started to die down returned at full speed, power, whatever, and he felt his gaze become even sharper. There were only points of weakness filling his vision, and he felt himself lift up from the ground. He didn’t give a care to how that could have happened, just swung his sword in every direction possible. He didn’t see the cutters fall — or hear, for that matter — just knew it. His sword struck cleanly. A head there, a joint there, an abdomen there. 

Then, just as he thought everything was going well, a particularly big ant appeared before him. It was about as long as Gregor was tall, and the mandibles were the size of kitchen knives. He didn’t think this was the ant queen or something, she’d never come out here to battle. But still, there was something . . . different about this ant.

Gregor kicked away some of the surrounding ants. Something told him that the big ant would need special attention to beat. He gripped his sword tighter, then swung. The ant dodged with surprising speed, then lunged at him. Gregor leaped away, but the cutter was simply to fast. It pushed him down and was about to crawl upon him. Desperately, Gregor jabbed at the ant. It was no use. He sighed. The buzzing was starting to disappear again.

Then, suddenly, he felt something grip onto his shoulder. He was yanked away from the battlefield and up in the air. Someone had come to his rescue at the last moment possible and was now flying him to the top of the cavern.

Gregor struggled to catch his breath and bumped his head into something. Fur. Stone-gray with gold-and-emerald stains. Ouranos. “What?” he got out.

Someone grabbed his arm and hauled him onto the bat. “You were in trouble,” said Josh. “Ouranos thought we’d help you a bit, and then . . . well . . .”

“Thanks,” Gregor said blankly. But he couldn’t stop looking at Josh. The boy’s silver hair was smeared in blood and swept away from his face. Though that wasn’t the reason. Gregor blinked. No, he wasn’t dreaming or something.

“Stop staring, thank you very much,” said Josh and scowled. He grabbed a lock of hair and smacked it in his face. It wasn’t necessary, though. There was no way Gregor could forget what he’d just seen.

Scars. Loads of scars. There’d been at least half a dozen, protruding from Josh’s forehead. Clearly, they hadn’t been stitched well; there was jagged flesh at the edges. Something told Gregor they might be burn scars. Third-degree and fourth-degree burns decorating the boy’s forehead. Gregor winced.

“This one’s yours to claim, you know,” Josh said and tapped his temple. 

Gregor remembered how he’d practically beaten the boy to a pulp. He gulped. “Why’d you guys save me, then?”

Josh shrugged. “War isn’t a time for personal grudges. We’re all on the same side here. And besides. . .” Before Gregor could react, the boy had planted a fist right in his face. “I think we are even now.”

Ouranos stuck his head up by Gregor. “I think you should get back to the battle now. Josh is working himself up.”

As they neared the ground, Gregor crouched and leaped. “Thanks!” he shouted to Josh and Ouranos. Then he hit the stone and clenched his sword. It was time to fight.

This time, though, he for some reason felt more prepared. Maybe it was the fact that Josh punching him had already sent him into rager mode. Or maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, he was grateful for it. 

For once, Gregor let himself enjoy the battle. Tried not to think of the body pile or anything. The ants weren’t like the other creatures in the Underland. They didn’t care how many they lost if just they fulfilled their goal.

Just as he thought the battle was going great, there was a shriek. Gregor almost froze. “Boots,” he whispered. But it couldn’t be Boots. The shriek didn’t sound like one of hers. He allowed himself a single glance to the corner where Temp had hidden the kids away. Oh no.

The piece of rock they’d been standing on had been divided by a huge crack. Fortunately, Boots and Temp were standing on the side furthest from the river. But on the other side, only a single foot raised above the water, Hazard, Russell, and Newton huddled together in fear. The rock would creak dangerously whenever they moved even the slightest; rumble crumbled away.

Gregor whirled back around and hammered his sword onto a cutter. But he couldn’t focus, not with the kids stuck on that rock. Grudgingly, he stole another glance. From what he could see, Hazard was slowly creeping towards the crack on all fours. Good. And besides, if anyone fell, the bats should be able to save them. Still, he couldn’t quell the uneasy feeling in his chest.  
A pair of mandibles found their way to his thigh. He shook his leg and swatted the ant away with his sword.

The next time he looked, Hazard had made his way over the crack to Boots and Temp, and now Russell was approaching the crack. Gregor had an urge to smile, but that was quickly quelled when three cutters barged into him, almost pushing him off his legs. He swung his sword around and pierced an ant’s abdomen, then spun around and cut off another’s leg. He then brought his sword up in an arc and hacked it through a cutter’s middle section. Wasn’t it called the thorax or something? 

Russell had made it to safety too. Now there was just Newton left. Gregor wanted to shout with joy, but he was currently occupied fighting of ants. It was like they’d targeted him specifically, but the others probably had more problems than him. 

Crack! He shouldn’t have thought that. His head snapped around just in time to see the piece of rock Newton was standing on cracking off and falling into the water. The mouse was slung off and into the water. Perhaps the river wasn’t as wild as it’d been before the earthquake in the Swag, but Newton was barely more than a pup!

Gregor’s rager ability was on autopilot now. His body was doing all sorts of twists and turns, but his eyes were stuck gazing at the event unfolding. He heard Newton shrieking, pawing to stay afloat in the river. Honestly, he had no idea if a bat could save the mouse in time. The river was carrying Newton away faster than you could imagine. Fortunately, the current led towards a flat rock jutting out of the beach. Newton was whisked towards it and locked up against it. 

He was just about to be relieved when he realized this wouldn’t help Newton. The water wasn’t just pressing Newton up against the rock, it was pushing him down under! If the mouse had had energy to it, he might have been able to drag himself up on the beach. But as it was, there was no way Newton could swim against that current. 

“Newton!” Gregor heard Hazard scream. The kid was trying to run to the river, but Temp held him back. “Someone has to help him!”

Now Gregor knew the bats couldn’t reach Newton here in the midst of battle. The mouse was already going under. He wanted to help, he really did, but he didn’t think he could move outside attacking and defending maneuvers right now. He could only watch as Newton drowned.

Gregor was just about to glance away from the scene when something caught his eye. A black-and-brown dot whizzed across the stone beach towards the river. Gregor heard Hazard’s distressed call, “Russell!” But the mouse didn’t stop. He was dodging between cutters and springing for the river. “Russell, come back!” Hazard called again.

Russell was almost at the riverbank now. Gregor wanted to hold his breath, but that was probably not very wise in the current situation. Besides, there was no guarantee Russell could actually save Newton. Still, you had to hope. 

Gregor’s hands were sweaty, and his neck hurt from looking over his shoulder for so long, but it was like he couldn’t move in any other way than fighting. So he saw it all. Russell leaped, dove into the water. For a few moments, there was nothing to see except the water splashing around. Then the two mice appeared in the water. Russell hoisted Newton on top of him and pushed him up. That’s when Gregor saw that Aurora was diving for them. She couldn’t get too near, though, and the current was pushing the two pups down.

Aurora dived a last time, and that’s when Russell literally threw Newton into the air. The bat caught him and swooped in the air, barely judging a hissing cutter. Down in the river, Russell was doing his best to stay afloat. Despite being younger than Newton, the mouse seemed to have much more strength. Aurora dove again and extended her claws towards Russell. She grabbed his fur and lifted him out of the water. “They’ll get him out,” Gregor thought. He was slowly starting to get an idea of what he was doing again. Now that Newton and Russell had been rescued, things seemed to slow down again. Now he actually could see himself fighting.

And boy had he fought. It was like there’d appeared loads and loads of dead, red ants out of nothing! The ground had been coated with corpses. From what Gregor could see, only ants had fallen. He cast a glance around. In front of him, Ripred and Lapblood were whirling around and doing all kinds of fancy stuff, with dead cutters piling up in front of him. On their right, Sixclaw looked to be doing alright. Though he was bleeding from cuts on his body and limbs, it wasn’t anything serious. Besides, it looked like Lervox was keeping an eye on him. Occasionally, she’d drop down from the ceiling, slice up a few cutters, then whiz up her web again. Temp had herded the kids over in another corner, and Mareth, Sulphur, Dalvick, and Flyfur were defending them. Those on the bats looked alright, and no cutters even got near Travisjakadash.

Gregor decided to just focus on the battle for now. “Just focus on the fighting,” he told himself. He cut his sword through an ant, then severed the head of another. Man, it felt good to fight. This thought annoyed him, but fighting spirit wasn’t easy to get rid of. When he raged, his head was messed up.

His blade cut through a cutter’s thorax, and he felt something on his back. Startled, he spun around and ran his sword through the ant that had jumped him. Man, this was getting difficult. Despite the rager powers, he was starting to run out of energy. He could actually see his movements getting sloppier. Mandibles found their way through his. He had to scream once the wound on his forehead was reopened. “Just hang on,” he told himself. “You have to keep fighting. You can’t let them kill you. You have to keep fighting and — !”

A scream. Boots’s voice. He flipped around and ran.

She was backed against a wall, water on one side, a fifty-feet fall on the other. Some way, she’d gotten separated from the others. Mareth, Flyfur, and Temp were running for her. In front of her stood the big ant Gregor had faced against earlier.

“Jump in the river, Boots!” Gregor screamed. There was no guarantee anyone would reach her in time. Jumping was the only way out.

She didn’t jump. Merely pressed against the wall as the ant whizzed forward. 

“Have to reach her!” Gregor gasped and leaped over a stone. He swung his sword.

Bam! Suddenly, the ant was puffed away, skidding across the ground. Temp snapped his mandibles at the insect beneath him. The next thing Gregor knew, the cutter’s leg was clenched between Temp’s mandibles. He felt hope rising in his chest.

Then the ant bit into Temp’s chest and flung him aside. He hit a stone near the river.

Gregor gasped, and then the cavern exploded in roars and cries of fury.


	18. Chapter 18: Burial

Gregor didn’t know what happened. He had no idea what to do. All he knew was that suddenly, everybody had started fighting with so much more power than before. All around him, cutters were falling, not one by one, but dozens at a time. Ripred and Lapblood were shredding every ant in a five-feet radius of them. Sixclaw and Flyfur stood back-against-back, fighting off the cutters. Over at the far end of the cavern. Gregor could see Travisjakadash literally stomping on the ants, crushing them beneath his enormous paws. The humans on the bats would swoop down and run their swords through rows of cutters. Everywhere, the cave had come alive.

And all through this, Gregor was still running for Boots. Now he reached her, wrapping an arm tightly around. “Shh, Boots. Let me handle this.”

She was crying. “Bad ant. He kill Temp. You kill bad ant!”

“Yeah, Boots, I’ll —.” The truth of what she’d said reached him. Gregor's breath hitched in his throat. He kill Temp. 

The ant had killed him. The ant had killed Temp. Had just flung him aside as if he was just a worthless bug, a pest irking the ant. The thought made Gregor furious.

“Get a bat here!” Gregor screamed. There was a streak of yellow as Acheloos whizzed down beside him. “Take her!” He pointed at Boots. “And him!” He nodded to Hazard. “Get them out of here!”

He gripped his sword tighter. These ants weren’t allowed to just waltz in here and kill Temp. He’d kill them. He’d kill them all. 

Gregor’s feet started moving. He leaped forward, running his sword through a cutter. Then he took a step left, cut off an ants legs, and hopped backward. It was like a dance. A killer’s dance. A rager’s dance. His feet moved in intricate patterns as he lashed out at the cutters. It wasn’t exactly like the rager spin that Ripred mastered, but close by. His vision was but points of weaknesses now. He swung his sword gracefully like a dancer, yet with so deadly precision. Cutters fell at his feet, but he wouldn’t stop. They’d killed Temp. Or injured him, at least. And regardless of what Gregor’s view on fighting was, now was a moment where he wouldn’t back down. 

He didn’t know how much time went by, when suddenly it was like the ants’ numbers were starting to lessen. He thought they’d beaten them when he realized they were filling out the tunnels again. When he looked closer, it almost looked like they were . . . fleeing. He wanted to follow them, but Ripred stopped him.

“No need for that,” the rat growled. “They did what they came for. To quell our hope.”

Now Gregor felt his body returning to normal. He felt his feet starting to move, not towards the tunnels, but the river. Temp lay by a rock. Maybe . . . maybe he was still alive! But one look at the roach’s caved in chest told him there was no way that could be the case.

“No,” Gregor whispered. He sunk to his knees beside Temp and clasped the insect’s leg in his hand. “Come on, come on, say, something Temp!” But he knew he was hoping in vain. There’d be no words from the cockroach. He wouldn’t ever say anything again.

The realization was crushing, even though Gregor had seen everything that had happened himself. “No!” His eyes felt wet. He wouldn’t blink away the tears. Thank you. To weep when Tick has lost time. Temp had run out of time today. Gregor would weep for him.

He could hear footsteps and knew everyone had gathered around them. But he didn’t look up. Just sat there, weeping.

Someone laid a hand on his shoulder. Luxa. Gregor couldn’t ignore the feeling of deja vu. This was almost exactly like when Tick died. They’d both sacrificed themself to save Boots. But unlike with Temp, Gregor had only known Tick for a short period of time back then, and still her death had devastated him such. And now Temp had gone too.

It was horrible. All his life, Gregor would’ve never imagined Temp dying like this. It was like something was missing. Like some beautiful last words, or a few calm breaths before death, or a chance to just let the roach know how grateful they were of him. Instead, there was just silence. Like no one felt worthy enough to say something.

Ripred finally broke the silence. “He shouldn’t have died,” he said. His voice was hollow. “Screw guards. You could have hovered over the river. Found somewhere safe to wait. Or fought them off. It’s my fault.” No one dared object.

“We could have done better,” Dalvick said, head lowered. “But in the end, no one can protect everyone.”

“True, brother.” Luvan stood by Dalvick. “But we should have tried better.”

“I should have defied Ripred’s orders,” Luxa said, voice shaking. She got beside Gregor and cradled Temp’s body. “I should have made sure they got out. What a queen I am. “

And then she did something that surprised even Gregor. Gently, she slid her crown of her head and pressed it over Temp’s feelers, settling onto his head. “He is much more worthy wearing this than I.”

“I’ve never treated him with enough respect.” Lapblood laid a claw on Temp’s chest. One by one, the other rats joined her.

“Temp in our hearts,” said Boots, pressing a hand against her chest. And even though she was crying, Gregor felt so proud of her. She was only four. She shouldn’t be witnessing this. And still she could be so calm. She was crying, but Gregor suspected a normal four-year-old would be bawling their eyes out, adamantly demanding to have their friend back. But Boots understood. 

When Gregor finally lifted his head, he noticed Howard wasn’t in the gathering. His eyes darted around and found the older boy on his knees in the far end of the cavern. It looked like he was bent over something. Or someone . . .

“Russell!” Before anyone could react, Hazard had broken away from the group and was running towards Howard. Fortunately, Ripred managed to stop the boy with a swipe of his tail before he could reach Howard. This caught the attention of everyone. 

Howard glanced at them with a stern look. “His heart is still not beating.” And now Gregor saw the reason why Hazard had run. Beneath Howard lay Russell, unmoving and soaked.

“Oh no.” First Temp, now Russell. He wanted to cover Boots’s eyes, but she had already seen the mouse. He caught her as she ran. “Shh, Boots. Howard is working.”

She looked up at him, eyes red. “Ross-ail is dead, too?” 

“I don’t know Boots,” he just said. He didn’t want to give her hope, nor confirm what she said. Everything felt surreal, like a dream. Or a nightmare. But he knew just as well as everybody else that this was no nightmare. The harsh realities of life, as his uncle Joe always said. Uncle Joe. Man, the last time he had seen his uncle, Joe had looked like he wanted to kill Gregor. He gulped. Boy, had he some apologizing to do when he got home. Both to his cousin, Matthias, and to his mom as well. He’d treated her as a stranger, like someone who’d never done anything good to him in his life. The thought made him sick with guilt.

Gregor didn’t know how long he would’ve stood there if Howard hadn’t suddenly shouted, “He lives!” The impact of the words was enough to awaken everyone from their state of grief. Despite the fact that Russell practically was a stranger to him, Gregor found himself running towards the mouse. And sure enough, there lay Russell, gulping up water, soaked to the bone, fur matted with blood, but alive. 

“Ross-ail!” Boots squirmed free and lay down beside the mouse. Hazard and Newton sat next to her. Gregor thought they should perhaps give Russell some space, but he didn’t have the heart to tell them. They looked so happy.

Now Russell rolled onto his stomach and sat on his haunches. He glanced at Temp, then gasped and fell back, coughing. Howard quickly caught hold of the mouse.

“Russell!!” Boots cried and reached for the pup. Hazard stopped her.

“Worry not. I will be fine,” Russell said in that squeaky voice up his. Shaking, he got up on his haunches again. “I believe I be worthy to join Nicomachus the Cave of the Fallen. Nicomachus be honored to have brave crawler, too.”

“What?” said Gregor. To him, this made no sense. But Hazard knew.

“No!” Hazard said, reaching frantically after Russell. “He thinks he is going to die! He wants to join Nicomachus! Do something!”

“Worry not, Haza —” Russell broke out in a coughing fit. “I be fine. I be at peace. We be at peace.” Then he fell backward. When he hit the ground, the cavern erupted in frantic cries.

Gregor didn’t really know what happened in the next few minutes. Everybody was screaming, Howard was desperately trying to restart Russell’s heart, Hazard was pleading in vain for Russell to stay alive. All in all, things were horrible once again. He wanted to do something, but he had no idea what. When things finally quieted down again, it was clear what had happened.

“His heart will not beat. He has left us,” said Howard. When he removed his hands from Russell’s chest, they were red with the mouse’s blood.

It was too much. This double-tragedy, it was just too much. But in some way, Russell’s words had had a major effect on the group, including Gregor. It wasn’t as if he’d know the mouse. But still . . . Russell was just a tiny pup. It was creepy, yet so fulfilling to hear those words from him. It somehow made the loss less crushing. Still . . .

“I want to honor them,” Luxa said. She stood up and grabbed Hazard’s hand. “Hazard, do you know what we can do for them?”

Hazard looked at her and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. “I think — I think we should say the Grand Farewell. The Summoning of Nicomachus. That would be fitting.” Even though his voice quavered with crying, he still sounded determined. 

“That’s good, but I’m afraid no one knows the Grand Farewell,” Ripred said. “Besides maybe you and Newton.”

Hazard walked over to a bat, searched in the bag on its bag, and took out a tiny container. “I kept these. If something were to happen.” He unscrewed the lid and grabbed a neat stack of identical hides. When Gregor looked closely, he could see the words, “The Summoning of Nicomachus” scrawled at the top of each hide. The thought that Hazard had kept these all the time in case something “were to happen” was insanely bleak and sad.

The boy handed everyone a piece with The Summoning of Nicomachus written on. “After ‘I ask of you to take this honorable’, you replace nibbler with ‘nibbler and crawler’.”

Dalvick had gone to pick up Temp. Now he was back, the roach cradled in his arms. He gently lay Temp beside Russell. “Should we throw them — yes, sorry for the blunt choice of words — in the river. I cannot imagine there being material for a raft or a boat here.”

“I’m afraid we have to,” Lapblood said. “At least we will give them the last honor of saying the Farewell. I may not be a nibbler, but even I know the impact of that farewell.”

Then it was decided. They sat down on the river bank and prepared to lower Temp and Russell into the river. Gregor felt sick. This was so wrong. This wasn’t something that was supposed to happen. His heart felt heavy with the deaths of Temp and Russell. War is a game, and in a game, you must beat your enemy to win. Well, maybe that was true. But that didn’t mean it was the right thing to do. But Gregor knew just as well as the rest of the questers that there was no peaceful alternative to this battle. The cutters didn’t think like they did. Gregor knew that.

“It’s time,” Ripred said. “Get ready.”

Gregor looked at his hide. He took a deep breath. Then Dalvick lowered Russell and Temp into the river. They began.

“O noble Nicomachus, o brave warrior, I summon you to this wasted battlefield, an illusion of where your brothers and sisters fell. I ask of you to take this honorable nibbler and this honorable crawler to the Cave of the Fallen, for they have proved their honor today. Farewell, my fallen friends. For Nicomachus has the courage of a fearless, and he will care for you now when I can no longer. Rest with the Fallen, my soldiers. May Nicomachus bring you home.”

The speech filled Gregor with such a weird feeling. He couldn’t describe it. But he knew he would never forget this moment, this chorus of so different voices, chanting the same. Everyone said the speech. Even Ripred. Even Lervox. Even tiny Boots, who couldn’t even really read yet. He would never forget her voice at this moment.

“O nobel Nicmakus, o brave wavior, I summon you to this vasted baddlefield, an ‘lusion of where your brothers and sisters fell. I ask of you to take this honebel nibbler and this honebel crawler to Cave of Fallen, for they have proved their honer today. Fair-vel, my fallen friends. For Nicmakus has the couras of a fearless, and he will care for you now, ven I can no longer. West with the Fallen, my solders. May Nicmakus bing you home.”

They stood by the river as it washed Temp and Russell away. Gregor wanted to say something, but it was like there was an unspoken agreement not to speak. Finally, after minutes of silence, someone spoke up.

“This quest was all for nothing. We can’t keep going anymore.” It was Lapblood, who had bent her head. “Some of us are injured, two of us have already fallen. What point is there even in this? This is a task for spies, not a mixed bunch like us.”

“Yes. I always doubted this would work out,” Ripred said. “People don’t listen. Too caught up in their prophecies. Of course, who doesn’t believe the prophecies nowadays.”

Luxa cleared her throat. “We are heading home.” Despite the current situation, this statement seemed to take everyone aback.

“What?” Sixclaw blurted. He nudged Flyfur. “But I thought you said we had to go find those soldiers and beat them!”

“That was not what I said.” Flyfur rolled her eyes.

“Howard, stitch the party up. Then we will pack up and head for Regalia,” said Luxa. Her voice surprised Gregor. It was so formal, so emotionless. In some way, he knew the loss of Temp had hit her hard. He wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how. Instead, he just clutched Boots’s hand and went to Howard.

Howard had established some kind of very temporary field hospital in the middle of the cave. Lervox perched beside him, spinning special webs at his command. Howard made them all line up. “Let us get through you all, one by one.”

Gregor was one of the last in the line. When it was finally his turn, he just let Howard stitch his wounds. It was like this battle had robbed the group of their ability to show emotion. Even when everyone had been patched up, they just silently mounted the bats.

They flew for a while without talking except occasional comments that there were enemies near. Despite the threat of being attacked, the party seemed to have it under control. That was why Gregor was surprised when Aurora suddenly halted and dove behind a stalactite. “Hold on.”

“What is it?” Gregor whispered. He tried to peek around the stalactite, but Luxa yanked him back.

“Hush, Gregor!” she said.

But even if he hadn’t looked, he would’ve known what had happened just by the noise. There was battle in the air. He could hear growling rat voices. Not the kind that was on their side. Scratchblood’s rats. 

“They have smelled us,” Aurora said. She dove into the open, and now Gregor got a good look at the rats. But that wasn’t what surprised him. Perched on a white bat, a torch in his or her hand, was a human.

“Who is that?” Luxa whispered behind him. “We have not sent any spies to this area.”

“Well, it must be a scout of something, right?” Gregor didn’t think some random human would just venture out here in the middle of nowhere. But the human had caught Gregor’s attention too, though. Or, rather, the human’s outfit (if you could call it that). There was something . . . odd about it. The clothes were composed of different blacks and grays like they were meant to disguise the wearer. It didn’t really make sense. There was no use for dark shades in the Underland, where everything was dark, anyway. If Gregor had seen right, the human had been wearing gloves, and a helmet was clumsily pushed over their head. A piece of cloth was tied around the helmet. Maybe it was just Gregor, but in his eyes, the rider seemed very . . . small.

“What do you think, Gregor?” Luxa asked him. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “Looks pretty small to me.”

“Perhaps it is a child who has decided to go on an adventure?” Luxa suggested. “I suppose I do not set such a good example for the children in my city, with me running off on adventures all the time.”

“That’s not true, you’re awesome!” Gregor said. Technically, it was kind of true what she said. Though, that wasn’t what she needed to hear right now.

“Aw-som?” said Luxa. “What means this?”

“Uh, something great, I guess.” Sometimes, it annoyed him to explain something to the Underlanders. Now, it didn’t bother him.

“Shall I dive, Luxa?” Aurora suddenly asked. 

Gregor scanned the field. That is when he realized something. Though the rats were leaping at his or her bat, the human wasn’t fighting back. They didn’t even seem to wield a weapon.

“No.” The answer took Gregor aback, but he knew he had to trust her. “Let Ripred and Morris see what they can do.”

Whoosh! In a split second, Pollux had spun past them, aiming for the ground. The bat spread its wings, and Ripred and Morris lept of, feet hitting the hard rock. They both charged forward into the pack of rats.

“This is my great-uncle Morris,” Luxa whispered.

And boy they could fight. Sure, Gregor had seen Ripred fight before. But Morris. . . he hadn’t really paid attention to the old man in the other battle. The stout man had a truly beautiful fighting style. Even Gregor had to admit that. Morris could sprint and leap like some graceful animal. A dear, perhaps. His sword arced towards the rats, slicing through their silky fur. He was no longer an old man. 

But as catchy as it was to watch the man, Temp and Russell’s deaths were still fresh wounds in his heart. He could feel them ache. He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, Aurora flew forward. Gregor’s eyes flew open, but nothing made sense. They were spinning through the air, twisting and turning as they whizzed towards something falling out of the air. The masked rider. They smacked into it and Gregor found himself clutching Aurora’s fur. When she pulled up again, the human lay in front of him. “Who are you!” 

The answer was just a silent whimper. Gregor yanked the helmet of the human and found himself staring at his sister, Lizzie.


	19. Chapter 19: Bring this cave down!

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Gregor blurted. He didn’t curse much, but there’d been so many unpleasant surprises the last few days that he couldn’t hold it back anymore. “You’re supposed to be up in the Overland with Mom and Dad!”

Lizzie’s eyes were red. He supposed he shouldn’t be so forceful. But to think that she was down here too . . . he couldn’t bear to have one more person on this failure of a quest. “Oh, hey, sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I just . . . you know, this quest thing haven’t turned out quite well yet.” 

That wasn’t the right thing to say. Gregor wanted to punch himself. “It’s going to be okay, Liz,” he tried. “You’re okay. The rats won’t hurt you. Ripred and Morris have. . . done something. It’s going to be okay. It’ll be okay.” But even as he said that he could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

“I’m — sorry — Gre — gor,” Lizzie said. Her voice quavered. Gregor wrapped his arms around her. “Shh, Liz. It’s going to be okay.”

“I’m sorry!” she said, crying. “Mom and Dad said . . . I should get you. You — weren’t in — Regalia. Daedalus helped me. I — we shouldn’t have done it. And now Daedalus got injured! Gregor!”

Gregor did his best to comfort her, but it was no use. Something puffed his back and a little hand peeked into view. “Lizzie!” Gregor lifted Boots over so she could sit beside her sister.

“Hi — Boots,” Lizzie whispered.

“But . . .” Gregor knew he wasn’t supposed to make her cry anymore, but he had to ask. “Why did you come down here? Why did Mom and Dad make you come down?” It made sense. There was no way his parents would have Lizzie come down here alone.

Lizzie’s breathing hitched. “Uncle Joe!” she gasped. “Uncle Joe he — Gregor, he pressed charges against you! We can’t — Please come home!”

“What?” Gregor felt his body go numb. Uncle Joe had pressed charges? Even though he knew his uncle had been mad, Gregor would’ve never thought that he would press charges.

“And — !” Lizzie gasped again. Man, if he’d just had a paper bag. “Grandma’s dead!”

Gregor stared at her for a second, then toppled backward. Luxa caught him and pushed him up again. Gregor flung his arms around, trying to find something to hold onto. His hands caught the golden fur of Aurora. “No!”

They’d known his grandma didn’t have much time left. She was old, after all. But here in all the chaos of this stupid quest, of everything that’d been going on the last month, he hadn’t given a thought to his grandma’s condition. He’d been busy grieving for  
Ares, for Temp, for Russell. Had never thought yet another death would come into life so fast. But now she was gone, too. His grandma.

“No!” Another cry escaped his lips. Tears slid down his face. “No! Not again! I’ve just begun to mourn Temp and Russell. I’ve never stopped mourning Ares or Tick or anyone else! Not again!”

“Grandma dead?” Boots asked. “Won’t Grandma wake up?” And somehow, that made it even worse.

“Yes!” Gregor said. “Grandma won’t wake! Because she’s dead! I don’t — how?” If he’d been a child, perhaps he’d have denied that his grandma could be dead. But he wasn’t a kid anymore. Maybe biologically, but deep inside he had the hardness of a soldier who’d seen his friends fight and die lodged in his soul. And because he had been so occupied with helping the Underlanders, his grandma had died alone.  
Without him by her side. Uncle Joe had pressed charges. His family was falling apart once again.

War is a game, and in a game, you must beat your enemy to win.

Gregor’s enemy was all the pain and sorrow and guilt and shame that had filled his life as of lately. It’d started all the way back when Ares had died. But he had failed to notice the real problem in all this. Tragedy had started to become something that happened every day. He wanted to blame someone for the death’s of Tick and Thalia and Ares and Twitchtip and his grandma and Temp and Russell and everyone else who had died, but that wouldn’t help him. That wouldn’t help anyone.

My point here is that you cannot simply vow revenge against someone because they killed someone you loved.

It hit Gregor that a lot of what Ripred had said had proved to be true somewhere along this bumpy road of uncontrolled events and horrific tragedies. Maybe it was true. Maybe Ripred was wise. And somehow that thought calmed him.

He couldn’t keep blaming himself for stuff that technically could be anyone’s fault. He couldn’t keep mourning aimlessly. And while it was more than alright to mourn someone, too much grieving could mess you up inside. Gregor had learned that. He felt guilty for what he had done to Josh, what he had done to his cousin, what he had done to his mother, what he had done to countless people and rats and bats and who knew what else. But there wasn’t a way to change the past. Wishing never helped. 

“When I get up again, point one is to apologize to my mother. And Matthias. And uncle Joe. And everyone,” he thought. Then something else struck him. Wait . . . Lizzie said uncle Joe had pressed charges against him.

Gregor began sweating. Uncle Joe has pressed charges. Against him. Gregor. His own nephew. I’ll kill you, you little bastard! What would Gregor do when he got up again? Now he suddenly saw the emergency that had somehow convinced his parents to have Lizzie fetch him. He’d been on trial before, framed for treachery, and had barely escaped execution, but that had been in the Underland. The fact that his own uncle had sued him . . . and his parents were dealing with all that right now . . . Suddenly, everything he’d thought of before vanished and he felt himself spiraling into the depths of guilt again.

“Gregor.” 

He gasped, looking up. Boots clasped his hand. “Not your fault. Mom was stupid. She knew you’re sad. Mama knows you get mad. You’re way-ger.”

And it was true. His mom had been stupid to invite his cousins while he was in this state. She knew he was grieving. She knew he thought of the Underlanders. She’d heard how he put a kid from school in the hospital once. 

She knew he was a rager.

But could he blame her? His mom just wanted to keep the family together. She must be going insane with all the times Gregor and Boots had disappeared into the Underland. But that didn’t mean he’d stop. He owed these people his life. These people owed him their lives. 

Gregor didn’t belong in the Underland nor the Overland. But there was no “in-between.” If he didn’t switch between the two places, he’d go insane. It was like with people whose family lived in different countries. They could never be together because everyone was scattered across the world.

In the Overland, Gregor had his mom, his dad, Mrs. Cormaci, Lizzie, Boots, his friends, Larry and Angelina. In the Underland, he had Luxa, Mareth, Ripred, Nike, all his friends. His true friends. But he knew he would never choose one place. That was clear as day.

Because in the Overland, he could never show his scars, never show the part of him that had changed through the war. In the Underland, there was always the threat of death looming above him, always the fear of another war. But these two places were his homes, and they would never cease to be.

Gregor took a shaky breath. “Okay, I’m fine now.”  
He realized everyone on Aurora was staring at him. “I am fine.”

“You were shaking as if you were covered in cold water,” Luxa said, reaching out for him.

“I’m as fine as can be,” Gregor reassured her. “So, what’s going on? Are we going back to Regalia?”

Pollux fluttered up beside them. Ripred and Morris were on his back. “Yes, as I believe you know, we cannot afford any more deaths.”

“Deaths?” Lizzie said and clutched Gregor’s hand. 

Tears pricked behind Gregor’s eyes. “Yes, it’s . . .” He found he couldn’t continue.

Ripred seemed to notice Lizzie now. His voice turned, for once, soft. “Ah, I see this is our masked rider. Yes, deaths. We were attacked by cutters on a beach. Ants. I regret that I didn’t get them out of there. I forgot — no, we all did something stupid, and for that, there was a great price.”

“Temp and Russell, that brave young pup, perished at the hands — er, legs — of the cutters,” Morris said sadly. He bowed his head in remorse. “We should have never brought them into battle with the cutters in the first place. Cutters are not gnawers or killers or hissers. They care not who they kill.”

“Temp?” A look of recognition and shock passed over Lizzie’s face. “You mean that cockroach with the bent antenna that Boots was always riding on?”

“Yes,” Ripred said. “Frankly, I’ll admit I’ve come to care about the poor crawler. Always exceptionally brave, even looking past the fact that he was a crawler.”

“Temp?” Lizzie repeated. She looked from Gregor to Boots. “Boots, are you — !”

Boots put a hand to her sister’s lip. “Temp is in my heart now.” She laid her other hand on her chest. “Nicmakus bring him home.”

“Nicmakus?” Lizzie said, looking a little brighter after Boots’s reaction. 

“It’s mouse thing,” said Gregor. He didn’t want to explain. Something holy had come over the Summoning of Nicomachus after they’d said it for Temp and Russell.

“Who’s Russell?” asked Lizzie. Gregor remembered she hadn’t known anything about the mouse pups they’d found in the ruined colony.

“A nibbler pup,” Morris said. “Young, but brave and determined like a fierce warrior. I will strive to be as him in the future.”

Lizzie’s face seemed to droop at the mention of a nibbler pup. 

Sick-dah, Fails, and Ross-ail! 

Oh, why wouldn’t Boots’s voice get out of his head? It would be a nightmare to confront Russell’s brothers in Regalia, or where they were now, but they could not let them remain unaware of their brother’s sacrifice. Russell had said he wanted to avenge his uncle, Taliaferro. Instead, he had thrown himself into a river and saved Newton’s life. It struck Gregor how brave the pup had been, and how much he admired him. It was like watching a two-year-old push his big brother out of the way of a car about to hit them. 

He knew he would never forget Russell.

And Temp . . . how could he ever look at a cockroach and not see Temp? First Tick, and now Temp. They would probably have to find a new crawler for the New Council, but where would they find a roach as brave and good as Temp? Where would he ever find someone as brilliant and awesome as Temp?

That wasn’t an answer he could provide now. They had to move. They couldn’t afford any more deaths, as Pollux said. Whatever this mission was about, it had been idiotic from the very beginning. Gregor considered if it might be a ploy to kill them all off. No, people wouldn’t do that. That was unthinkable.

They flew for a few hours without speaking much. Sometimes, they coasted down to refill the water bags or because the bats needed rest, but mostly, they just flew. Gregor wondered just how the bats managed to carry all of them. Before, even a big bat like Ares had had trouble carrying just Ripred. 

Finally, he asked. “Hey, Luxa? So, I was wondering, how come the bats can carry us all? I mean, before, they could barely carry a single rat.”

“Since the war ended, we required more than a handful of fliers able to carry one or multiple rats. One full-grown bat residing in Regalia to be at least as strong as . . .” She paused.

“As strong as Ares,” Gregor finished. He figured it was good that the bats could carry rats now. But he couldn’t shake off the feeling that by this, people would not remember Ares as a strong bat anymore. “Can every bat become so strong?”

“Mostly yes,” she said. “Look around.”

The next few hours were tiring. Boots fell asleep in his lap. Gregor talked with Lizzie. She gave him the details on his family’s situation, but despite his efforts, he couldn’t bring himself to dwell on them. Finally, the bats hitched to a stop.

“Something is wrong,” Pollux hissed. “Something is moving beneath us.”

It was true. There was a loud clawing sound that Gregor recognized. Was it rats?

“Diggers,” Travisjakadash muttered. “There are diggers down there. They’re making the ground unstable. We should leave.“

“All right, turn around,” said Lapblood. 

Bump! A big stone crashed down to Aurora’s left. She veered to the side, and another rock fell. 

“Everyone, out!” Lapblood shouted. But it was useless.

Aurora took a sharp dive right and did a full-body roll. Gregor felt his grip slipping. He tumbled onto the stone. The ground cracked, and then he was falling. A bat, he couldn’t see which, swooped down and caught him by his sleeve. The fabric tore, and the bat yanked him up on it. He was deposited beside Luxa and Josh on a sturdy-looking stone slab, but with what Travisjakadash had said, he couldn’t be sure.

The stones had stopped falling. One by one, the others arrived at the slab. It creaked dangerously. “Is it safe?” Lizzie gasped.

“Should be,” Travisjakadash said. “For a bit of time, at least. We should go.”

“Can’t exactly,” Ripred said. “It happened again.” 

“What happened?” Gregor asked.

“Ambush,” growled Josh. “There’s a leak somewhere. This is the fourth time, I think. Fifth, maybe.”

Someone had turned a flashlight on. The beam stretched across the cavern. Gregor sighed. Josh was right. Something about the quest must have leaked out, because why else would these rats and humans stand here?

There were maybe twenty rats and ten human/bat teams standing on a rock ridge across from this slab. Gregor guessed his party could probably win if it should come to battle, but it was really weird. No way they’d just walked into another trap.

“Tell me, idiots, how exactly did you ambush us again?” Ripred snarled. “You can’t be so stupid as to think you can take us on.”

A small rat with a bright-gray pelt stepped to the front of the rock ridge. Gregor recognized him from the battle at Escevanville. “We’re not that stupid, you know. Not a band of idiots. We’ve got loads of smart people, you know. Those two J-men with the long hair were pretty helpful, too.”

Ripred grinned. “Look! It’s Brightcoat! How are you doing, little rat?” 

Brightcoat growled. “Stop calling me that. General Darkfur isn’t very big, either.”

“And that’s not the point,” another rat said, padding up beside him. “If you start being like that, Bright, then we can send you off on a bat. Pups aren’t allowed on the battlefield.”

“Who’s ever said that?” Brightcoat said.

“Ah, and the little rat’s mate is here, too,” said Ripred. 

“I’m only his mate on good days,” the other rat said. She rolled her eyes. “And today is not one of those days, captain Brightcoat. I’m here to make sure you don’t mess up.”

“But Minceclaw!” said Brightcoat. “I thought . . .”

“What is Ripred doing?” Luxa nudged Gregor. “This is not the time.”

“I know, he’s been a bit weird lately,” said Gregor. “I mean, back when Ripred and Sixclaw and I were away from you guys, he started acting very sadistic. And now . . . Well, it’s not like Ripred to waste time like that.”

“Morizotlas,” Brightcoat shouted, “I think it’s time.”

Someone grabbed Gregor and shoved him onto a bat. “It’s a digger, they’re making this thing crash,” Travisjakadash screamed. “Everybody, out!”

A harsh clawing sound echoed across the cavern, followed by a foreboding rumbling. The ground started shaking. “Is it an earthquake?”

“No, not exactly!” Travisjakadash said. “The diggers are making things collapse, it is bad!”

Everyone was being herded onto the bats. Gregor saw Ripred spit a last insult at Brightcoat before hurrying onto Pollux. They were in the air before Gregor could even start to think of what was going on.

Everything was chaos. The bats sped through the air, trying to find a tunnel leading out. The stones had started falling again. Gregor held on tightly to his sisters.

“How did this happen?” someone shouted.

“Traitors!” Ripred said. “Jan and Jonas, two of the people organizing this quest, they were spies!”

Spies. That meant . . . that this might actually have been a ploy to kill them all off. “Oh man,” he said. “Oh geez.” No, no, that couldn’t be true. The Underlanders, they would never . . . but Temp and Russell’s deaths were proof enough. Was this really . . .

Crash! Aurora dove right. Crash! 

Suddenly, Gregor was flying through the air. He couldn’t see his sisters, couldn’t see anything. He tried to grab onto something, but there was just air. He landed hard on the stone. A rat towered over him. Brightcoat.

“Look!” Brightcoat said. “I found the Warrior!” He raised his paw, claws shining. Gregor’s sword had gotten stuck under him. He tried to pull it out, but he was too slow. Brightcoat’s claws struck him, but not where he had expected. His arm had been pierced, instead of his chest or throat. 

Brightcoat screamed and squeaked something in Rat. Morris sat on his back with his sword lodged between the rat’s shoulders. “That was close, Gregor,” he said with a grim laughter. “Pollux!”

Pollux dived down and scooped Gregor onto him. Ripred wasn’t on the bat, but there wasn’t time to worry about that. They had to get out. Gregor’s mind was screaming for him to find his sisters, and he wanted to jump off Pollux, but that would be no use. What if they were out in this pandemonium? 

Brightcoat collapsed on the shaking ground, blood soaking his pelt. Morris pulled the sword out and hopped onto Pollux. “In the air, Pollux.”

The bat had barely taken off before a rat came running. It was the rat who’d told Brightcoat that she “only was his mate on good days.” Minceclaw, that was her name. 

“Bright!” Minceclaw came to a stop beside Brightcoat’s body. His chest was still moving, barely, but he couldn’t have much time left. Minceclaw looked from her “sometimes mate” to Morris. “What have you done!”

“I believe we should get out. I do not like killing half-innocent pups like Brightcoat,” Morris whispered. “This is one of three exceptions I have encountered in my life.”

Pollux whizzed upwards, away from Minceclaw and Brightcoat’s corpse. “Yes, I recognize the vengeous easily.”

Vengeous. The word reminded Gregor of Boreas. The bat had been mad with the desire to avenge his bond, Hadley. So mad he had almost killed Ripred. It struck Gregor that people who were so sick with wanting to avenge something were really scary.

Minceclaw was running after them. Her face was distorted with rage and hurt. “I’ll kill you all!” she screamed. “Morizotlas! Diggers! Bring this cave down!”

Gregor clutched Pollux’s fur. His gaze darted around, but he couldn’t catch sight of his sisters and Luxa in the chaos. He could just hope they would survive. The cave started shaking even more. 

“Bring this cave down, are you crazy!” Travisjakadash’s voice came from somewhere. “You’ll kill us all, even yourself!”

“I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care!” Minceclaw said. “I’ll kill you all! Even myself! Even my own! You killed Bright, now you pay! You killed everything I had!”

“She is not crazy,” said Morris. “Revenge is what motivates many people, rat and crawler alike.”

“Shut up!” Pollux said, and Gregor knew he was trying to maneuver through the collapsing cave. Gregor didn’t know exactly what the diggers were doing, but he sure knew that they might not survive it.

Bring this cave down! If he survived, he knew those words would haunt him forever. He’d been in an earthquake before, and that had been scary enough. He’d almost lost Boots. But though it had been creepy as heck, it hadn’t been nearly as chaotic as this. He could legit not make any sense of what he was seeing, or where he was. 

Pollux was flying so fast Gregor could barely see. Nor could he detect anything with his echolocation. There were only crashes and fear. Bring this cave down! Minceclaw wanted the diggers to have this cave come down on them all. 

“Hang on!” Pollux shouted, and then they were spinning through the air, around and around, so fast that Gregor had to dig his feet into the bat’s fur to hang on.

Something smacked into them. For a second, Gregor thought it was a rock. 

“Have you seen Luvan!” the “rock” said. 

Dalvick. It was Dalvick. “No!” Even though he was using every ounce of strength he could summon, Gregor forced himself to lift an arm and clamp it around Dalvick’s body. “Hang on!”

It felt like being in a giant current. Pollux flipped his nose forward and shot towards ground — or at least that was what Gregor thought. There was no sense of direction here.

They were twisting and turning, diving away from falling stones. From the scarce glimpses he could catch, Gregor saw jagged rock and cracked stone ground. “Don’t go there!”

“One way out!” Pollux snarled. 

Gregor clenched the bat’s fur tighter. He pressed his arm down over Dalvick. 

“Pollux, it’s collapsin’!” Morris said. “We nee’ to geh’ out!” It sounded like he was choking on something.

“Down here!” someone shouted from the way they were flying. “There’s a tunnel!”

Gregor pressed his face into Pollux’s fur and tried to think clearly. But there was only one sentence hammering through his head, “Where are my sisters!”

Pollux veered left and sped downwards. Voices were shouting. 

Where are my sisters! Why were they diving down? They’d get crushed. Where are my sisters!

Gregor forced himself to look up. But there was barely anything he could see. Pollux dove vertically down and into an opening. They were in a tunnel.

“It is coming down!” Morris screamed. 

Unbelievably, Pollux flew even faster down the tunnel. Behind them, something hit the ground. They shot forward, faster, faster, faster, so fast Gregor couldn’t believe a bat could fly so fast. The sound of stone hitting stone boomed in his ears, like a beat to the chorus of “Where are my sisters!” that had formed in his head.

Crash! Pollux tipped right and lost altitude. “No!” someone said. Then Pollux was up again, flying towards somewhere Gregor couldn’t see. Whatever had hit them, it couldn’t be good, but at least Pollux could keep going.

Crash! Crash! Crash! The sound was terrible, horrifying, ear-splitting, whatever else Gregor could come up with. Crash! Crash! Crash!

Pollux kept flying. He tipped right, veered left, dodged everything falling towards him. Gregor just laid there.

Crash! Something hit them again. This time, someone cried out. Pollux pulled up. The wind that his wings made smacked onto Gregor’s body. “Where are my sisters!”

Gregor’s heart beat fast against his chest, and his breathing felt ragged and unstable. He saw blood on the tunnel floor. Adrenaline was pumping around his body. Somewhere along the way, his vision had split and he had gone into Rager mode. But there was no one for him to fight here.

The crushing sound filled his ears as he tried to calm himself. But it was impossible. They were going to die, his sisters were going to die, Luxa and Howard were going to die, Ripred was going to die, everyone was going to die. 

“No!” he cried. “I don’ want to die!”

But all he could do was trust Pollux. The bat was doing everything he could to get them out alive. Gregor had no idea if the others were behind them or further down the tunnel. Or if they were even alive.

He gasped for air. It was like there wasn’t enough oxygen. It reminded him of a rollercoaster Larry and Angelina had once dragged him onto. Or that other sick ride Rodney and Matthias had insisted he try. 

But this was not a ride in a theme park. This was a matter of life or death. 

His hand felt wet and hot. Someone was bleeding. It was impossible to say who.

“Luvan,” Dalvick whispered. “Van, please be alive.”

Pollux’s wings snapped against his body, and then he started spinning. They whirled around, and Gregor tried to hang on to something, anything. His eyes were watery, his hands clammy. His breath hitched.

They crashed onto the stone floor. Gregor’s body hit something. He bounced up again, hit the ground a second time.

“Where are my sisters!” he gasped. But the only thing he could see was the last stones coming to a rest at the mouth of the tunnel they’d come out of.

“We’re trapped,” someone said.


	20. Chapter 20: Trapped

Gregor blinked. They were . . . trapped?

What had just happened? He’d been on Pollux . . . they’d flown so fast . . . Pollux had crashed onto the ground . . . and then . . . what?

“Where are my sisters!” The sentence had been pounding on his skull, crazy to be let out, so now he finally let it go. It came out as more of a muffled croak. He clasped his hands over his mouth and broke out into a coughing fit. 

When he had calmed down a little, Gregor looked around. Or tried. It was impossible to make sense of what was going on. His head was spinning, and everybody was screaming and shouting.

He looked at his arm. There was a big tear in his blood-soaked sleeve. He didn’t think the wound was very deep, but it still hurt a lot. 

“They’re over here!” somebody shouted. Gregor could hear from the growling tone that it was one of the rats, but he couldn’t hear who. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted across the rock floor. “Boots! Lizzie!”

“Gregor!” Gregor could barely hear Boots. His face went ballistic and he knew that if anyone saw him, they would say he was smiling like a madman. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes. His sisters were alive! “We’re here, Gregor!”

“I’m coming!” he shouted as loud as he could. He had no idea what state they were in, but his sisters were alive!

He found them huddled with Sixclaw, whose fur was thick with blood. The rat had a bloody paw clasped over his ear. “They’re okay,” he said and gasped. “We got out pretty fast.”

Gregor swept his sisters up in a hug. He tried to make his voice as calm as possible, but he doubted he could say very much without bursting into tears. So he just stuck with a simple “Hey.” 

Boots pulled at his clothes. “Gregor, we fly fast. Ex-streemely fast! Hard to breathe. Lizzie panic-uhtac. I tried to make her go calm again. Worked little. You best at making her go calm.”

“Oh, geez.” Gregor clasped Lizzie’s hands. They were wet with sweat. He wished he had a paper bag. “Hey, Liz. We’re okay. We’re alright.”

Her breaths came in short gasps. “No ‒ I’m fine . . .” she said. Gregor felt something nasty wash over him. If she was denying her condition, something was wrong.

“Liz, it’s okay. I think I had some kind of attack up there, too.” There was no use in trying to calm her down if she thought it was wrong of her to panic. “It’s okay to have a panic attack. Especially in this situation.”

“No . . . I’m not okay . . . not really . . . “ said Lizzie. She bit her lip. “But . . . Sixclaw’s . . . ear . . .” She began panting again.

“Okay, Liz, just breathe.” He patted her back. “Think of this. Right now you’re okay. Right now nobody’s going to hurt us.” He forced himself to take a deep breath. “So just breathe. Don’t . . . don’t think of what we’re going to do. Just think that right now, we’re alive.”

He held her as her breath slowed and became stable. “See, you’ll be fine.”

“But . . . Sixclaw’s ear.” It was first now that he realized what she had been saying. Gregor looked after Sixclaw, but the rat was gone. His heart started hammering.

“What do you mean?” he asked. But Lizzie couldn’t answer. He figured he shouldn’t ask her right now, for it seemed like it just set her off again.

It was Boots who finally answered. “Rat bit him,” she said with a voice that quivered in a way that made Gregor really uncomfortable. “No more ear. Sixclaw save me and Liz from stones.”

So Sixclaw had saved them. Gregor had never thought he would owe Sixclaw of all people. And now the rat’s ear . . . Well, Gregor wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, but it must be bad.

“Hang on,” he said. “Hang on, what exactly is going on? Wait here, I’ll come back.” Gregor got up and looked around. “Hey, can anyone tell me what’s going on?”

He ran across the stones again, trying to find someone who could give him answers. He knew they’d been trapped, and not much more.

Finally, he bumped into Howard. “Oops. Sorry,” he said and backed away. That’s when he saw what Howard was doing. “Woah.”

“It’s okay,” Sixclaw said. “Howard, just cut it off.”

“Your ear.” Sixclaw’s ear had almost been torn off, it seemed. Murky blood splattered the surrounding fur. Howard was crouched beside the rat, sword drawn. “Your ear, what happened?”

“A rat bit me,” said Sixclaw with a trembling voice. “I’m going to lose my ear, just cut it loose Howard.”

“It is not so simple!” Howard said exasperatedly. “I do not have the required equipment here.” Gregor had a feeling that Howard hadn’t tried to amputate something before. Even if it was just an ear. On the other hand, Gregor didn’t know anything about amputations, other than that it was probably pretty complicated work.

“Just do it,” Sixclaw said. 

“Um, I’ll just leave,” said Gregor. He knew this would be difficult for both Sixclaw and Howard, and spectators probably wouldn’t make this easier.

He looked around the cave. He could see the cave mouth that had been blocked by stones. There were a few other tunnels, but Gregor assumed they were dead ends, too.

The cave itself was kind of big. Gregor tried to spot someone who looked calm enough to tell him what they were going to do. Surprisingly, he himself was able to keep his calm, but maybe he would freak out later.

That’s when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Blood. He spun around.

“Oh no,” he said. Pollux was crouched - or whatever you called it - on the floor, wings clasped tightly around something. The expression on his face filled Gregor with dread.

Gregor took a step towards him. “What’s wrong, Pollux?” What if the bat had been injured? They had flown so fast that Gregor hadn’t been able to grasp whatever was happening. He remembered that something, probably rocks, had hit them. Maybe Pollux had been hurt worse than they’d thought. “Is it your wings?”

“No, no, they do not matter,” Pollux said. His wings parted. “Help him.”

Gregor stared at him. He couldn’t comprehend what he saw. Morris lay bloody, cradled by Pollux’s wings, barely breathing. 

“Morris!” Gregor struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. Not . . . not Morris. A day had barely passed since the deaths of Temp and Russell . . . it wasn’t right that one more had to die so soon.

“Help him,” Pollux repeated.

Gregor turned on his heel and rushed back to Howard. “Howard!”

“What is it, Gregor?” said Howard. Gregor could see that he hadn’t removed Sixclaw’s bloody ear yet, but he was clearly preparing to do so.

“It’s Morris! You have to come, he’s going to die!” Gregor didn’t know Morris very well, but in no way would he just let the man die. Besides, when the cave had started coming down around them, it was Morris who had saved him from Brightcoat.

“Sixclaw, stay here,” Howard said. He turned to Gregor. “Where is he?”

“Follow me!” Gregor led him to where Pollux sat. “He’s here!”

“Please save him,” Pollux said. He gently lay Morris before Howard. “Please.”

But even Gregor could see that there was no hope for Morris. His side had been torn open by a rock, and his cracked ribs stuck out of the gaping hole. It was a miracle that Morris had survived until now. Vital organs must have been fatally injured. Even if they had been in Regalia, Morris would most likely have been a goner. In an Overland hospital, with modern medical equipment and machines, skilled doctors could have saved him. 

“But not here,” Gregor thought bitterly. “There’s no hope for him here in the middle of nowhere.” But how could he say that to Pollux?

It turned out he didn’t have to. 

“It is too late,” Pollux said in a tone so filled with sorrow that Gregor wanted to break down and cry. “I know it is.”

“Yes.” Howard confirmed what Gregor had been thinking. “I want to save him, I do. But I cannot.”

Morris’s voice was so distinct and clouded that Gregor almost couldn’t hear it. But it was real. “You good doctoh, boy.”

Pollux gasped — well, whatever the bat-equivalent to gasping was. “You still breathe!”

Howard grabbed Morris’s hand. “Shush, speaking will only bring you pain, Morris.”

Morris coughed. Blood trickled from between his lips. Memories of scorching air and foul ash crept into Gregor’s mind. He saw Luxa in his arms, coughing and wheezing. He had been so scared, no, terrified that she’d die back then. 

“Morris, do not bring yourself pain,” Pollux said. He enveloped the man in his wings. 

“Too fohmal, How —” Another coughing fit wracked Morris’s body. Blood sprayed out of his mouth. “Your grandfather’s bro’er — call Uncle.”

Gregor suddenly remembered that Morris was Vikus’s brother. “Oh no,” he thought. So much bad stuff had happened to the old man already . . . Gregor was scared that the death of his brother would break Vikus completely. He hadn’t forgotten Vikus’s stroke.

“Alright, Uncle Morris,” said Howard. “But you still should not talk too much . . . It will hurt.”

“Not as mush . . . as if I neveh say good-bye,” Morris choked out. His eyes met Pollux’s. “Do noh mourn meh too mush, friend. I know . . . tha’ you strong enuff to live without meh.”

“I am not,” Pollux’s said. He was close to crying now. 

“Yesh you are you podge!” Morris clearly tried to shout the words, but the effect it had on his body was bad. He began coughing, coughing, coughing more and more.

“Morris!” Pollux cried and cradled him in his wings. “Please do not leave me! I am not strong enough.”

Even though the man was covered by Pollux’s wings, Gregor could still see the smile on Morris’s face. It was such a broad grin, filled with sorrow and happiness and regret. Something that definitely didn’t fit in in this situation, but it was so . . . Morris.

“You are,” Morris said. “I know you are.” And that’s when everybody knew he died.

Gregor realized that the others had come to see what had happened. “We can’t really bury him here, can we?” someone said.

“We have to focus on how to get out,” said Ripred.

And it finally hit Gregor. They were trapped in here. Trapped. “Aren’t there any tunnels leading out?”

Ripred said, “I know this place. That tunnel that just was blocked . . . that is the only way. Travisjakadash, do you have an idea?”

Gregor felt hope swelling inside of him. Travisjakadash was a digger. Maybe he knew a way out.

But the mole just shrugged. “Hard to dig out of here. Really hard rock. It would take me days, I think, and most of the food was lost in the escape. We still have water, but I believe it is not enough.”

Not enough supplies? Could this even get worse? 

“I know,” Ripred said. “I know, the walls of these caves are of a very sturdy and hard rock.”

“Can you try, Travusjakadash?” Luxa asked.

“Yes, but it will probably be futile, not enough time,” the mole muttered. “I don’t like this place. There’s blood on the ground over there.” He pointed at a decent-sized blood smear on the stone floor a few yards away. “Like someone was murdered here.”

Ripred perked up. He padded over to the smear. Gregor kind of expected him to say something like “People are murdered all the time, digger,” but he just sat there and stared at the blood. 

“What’s wrong, Ripred?” Lizzie asked. She walked over to him, wincing at the stain on the ground.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Ripred said. “I just know this cave very well. After all, it was the cave I grew up in.”

“What?” said Luxa. She headed over to them. “I have never heard you speak of such, Ripred.”

“Well, it isn’t usually a subject we discuss, your highness,” said Ripred. “And we shouldn’t discuss it now, either. It’s been long since we’ve had a rest.”

Gregor was confused. “What?”

“Lay down and sleep,” Ripred said. “I’ll try to find a way out.”

So Gregor lay down on the hard ground and pulled Boots and Lizzie down beside him. Despite all the shit going on, he found himself drifting to sleep.

He knew that several hours had gone by when he woke. It’d been a terrible dream that had jostled him out of sleep, bathing him in sweat and leaving his heart hammering hard against his chest. Boots sat up beside him. “You scared, Gregor.”

And it was true, for the dream had been horrible. In the dream, the food had soon run out and Boots had been wailing for food, her screams growing shriller and shriller every minute. Then, when Gregor had turned away for a single moment, he heard a delighted sound from his sister. He’d turned around to see what she’d discovered, and founded her covered in blood as she dug her little baby teeth into Morris’s corpse. That’s when he’d screamed, and that’s when the dream ended. Boots must’ve heard his scream.

“Just had a bad dream, Boots.” He would not specify what the dream - no, nightmare - had been about. 

“It’s okay, Gregor. Just a dream,” she said.

Oh, but if this reality had just been a dream, too. He’d not really had the ability to comprehend what was actually happening before, but now it really sunk in. They were actually trapped.

There must be a way to escape. Maybe Travisjakadash could dig through the walls. But the mole had said it would take too much time. Gregor could hear the characteristic clawing sounds. It sounded like Travisjakadash still was trying. But that didn’t give him much hope, though.

Gregor tried to think of other ways. Maybe there was a way out of here, a tunnel leading out. But Ripred had said he’d grown up here, and he would know if there was some secret tunnel out. On the other hand, it had been decades, probably, since Ripred had been a pup, and who knew how the caves and tunnels could’ve changed. 

A thought struck Gregor. Maybe this cave, with seemingly no way out, was actually a kind of backup plan that Scratchblood’s people had fabricated, in case the cave-in didn’t kill the quest party. Which meant that there wasn’t any way out that could be easily accessed. They were supposed to die here.

Gregor wanted to scream, but that’d just wake those who were sleeping. He got Boots to sleep again, but he couldn’t find rest himself. Those horrible thoughts, they wouldn’t leave him. He didn’t want to die.


	21. Chapter 21: Hope

Gregor had decided to try and sleep again, even if it might take a long time. He knew he’d already laid awake maybe an hour, but he’d started to feel a little drowsy, which must mean he’d been nodding off soon. He tried not to think of the situation, but it was pretty hard, considering the fact that they’d starve to death or something in here, and Gregor had tried to starve before. At least they still had food and water, but he knew they’d run out in a few days. He wished he knew how long you could go without food because he was determined to give all his food to his sisters. They were too young to die in here, isolated from the world, with no one to find them. He was glad that they were asleep because he knew Lizzie would have a severe panic attack when she woke up, and that’d just freak Boots out, too.

Man, he didn’t know how Lizzie’d managed not to freak out. Maybe she was just so exhausted that she, like Gregor, simply couldn’t really comprehend reality. But he knew when she woke it’d all come crashing down.

The cave wasn’t really dark. Someone had lit a few torches that cast light over some parts of the cave. It was kind of big, and several tunnels branched out from it, but they must be dead ends. He thought of the blood-smear on the ground and searched the cave for it. He didn’t really know why. It wasn’t even nice to think of why it was there. Maybe Ripred knew something. He’d grown up in this cave, he’d said.

And speaking of Ripred . . . right there where Gregor remembered the blood-smear was, right there sat, claws pressed into the rock. He was probably trying to figure out how they’d get out. Or maybe it was something else?

Maybe it was. Gregor could hear that Ripred was . . . mumbling something? He knew he was supposed to ‘get some rest’, but he really wanted to hear what the rat was saying. 

Gregor inched closer. He hoped he wouldn’t wake anyone. He knew Ripred would smell him, that the rat probably knew he was listening. But maybe he’d be able to catch a few words.

It was really difficult to hear what Ripred was muttering, but he didn’t seem to stop. Gregor strained his ears. 

“. . . ran away . . . said sorry six times . . . killed her . . . wasn’t his fault . . . “ 

The words were clouded, almost unhearable, with bits of Rat mixed into them. But Gregor had a nagging feeling that Ripred knew something about that blood-smear. 

Who ran away? Maybe one of Ripred’s siblings? Gregor knew he had a sister, Sleekpaw. They’d met her briefly at Escevanville. Stayed in her nest a bit. But he didn’t think it was her who ran away. Or maybe he’d misunderstood something. He shouldn't be here, awake, listening to what Ripred was mumbling. 

Then there were the other things that Ripred had said. Said sorry six times. Killed her. Wasn’t his fault. Suddenly, the whole thing made a lot more sense.

Travisjakadash was right. Someone had been murdered here. Gregor’s mouth fell open. The one who had been killed, and the one who had killed her, clearly Ripred knew - or had known - them both. 

Gregor thought back to something Josh had said. Something about a rat named Fogfur who’d told the boy something about Ripred. That Ripred had lost more than they knew.

“I think you’ve eavesdropped enough. Go to sleep, boy,” Ripred said. 

“Of course he knew I was there,” Gregor thought. But he wanted to sleep. Too much was going on. 

When Gregor woke, he saw that everyone was up. Boots was crouched beside him, holding a piece of bread out to him. “Gregor, you eat this.”

“No, you can eat it, Boots.” His top priority would be to ensure she didn’t starve. 

“No, Gregor, you have to eat it. I have eat bread, too,” she said.

“Alright,” said Gregor and took the bread. It tasted stale. For a brief second, he considered soaking it in some water, then remembered that they didn’t have much water, either. “So, where are the others?”

She beamed. “Luxa says Trah-vees-jahk-das found a weak spot! Weak means maybe he can dig through it.” 

“He can?” Man, that would be great! He didn’t even know if Boots had realized that they were trapped. And if what she said was true, then that meant that maybe she’d never come to know. He hoped.

“Yes, Luxa says so. The stone is not more strong there. It’s weak,” Boots said. “Come!” She grabbed his hand and attempted to haul him out of bed. 

“Okay, okay, I’m coming, Boots!” Gregor laughed. He didn’t know why. Everything was messed up. People had died. Temp, Russell, Grandma, Morris. He knew that she knew that too. 

“Gregor, you’re too slow! Like snail. A big snail,” scoffed Boots as she pulled his hand. “Temp said there are big snails here. He said he wants to show me them.” 

Gregor watched as her mouth curled downwards. She sniffled. “Temp never showed me snails. He can’t anymore.” Tears started trickling from her eyes. “Temp is in heart. Or with Nic-mackus. He can’t come back.”

“Yes,” Gregor said and wrapped his arms around her. “But remember, he’s in a good place now.” But he knew that his words wouldn’t help any. 

“Why can’t Temp come back, Gregor?” Boots cried. “Why can’t Temp? And Grandma can’t come back.” The tears that slid down her face made him want to cry. “Why did they go?”

“I . . .” Gregor didn’t know what to say. He just sat with her for some time. 

“Bad ant,” said Boots, wiping her eyes. “Ant bad. Not good. Not our friend.”

Gregor remembered the ant that had killed Temp. It’d been big, but not big enough to be the queen. He wondered who it was.

Not our friend. That was true. The ants were not their friends. He knew that their minds worked differently. They were so loyal to the queen, everything was for the benefit of the colony, Ripred had said something like that. Not our friend. 

But was this really how the ants were? Maybe the cutters actually had some kind of society, maybe they had family and friends. Gregor was pretty sure that the Overland ants at least weren’t like this, but maybe the cutters were different.

Or maybe they weren’t. Because from what Gregor had seen, the cutters simply didn’t care about what they did. They were like robots that’d been programmed with a single objective that they must pursue, without the ability to think that there may be another thing to do. They didn’t care how many ants died because there were thousands more.

Boots had started calming down. He wished that he’d been able to soothe her more. 

“Gregor?” asked Boots. “Gregor, why do people kill each other? Why did bad ant kill Temp?”

“I don’t know,” Gregor muttered. “I don’t want people to do that, either.” He felt uncomfortable talking with Boots about this. Four-year-olds weren’t supposed to know about these kinds of things. They weren’t supposed to see their best friend murdered right before them.

“Killing bad,” Boots said. “You kill too, Gregor.” 

Gregor felt a pang in his heart. “I know,” he said. “I don’t want to. But sometimes . . . sometimes it’s like there’s no other way.” He didn’t know if she’d understand - she was only four. And besides, he agreed that you weren’t supposed to kill each other. In fact, he hated violence. And people who knew him, they didn’t doubt that. So why did he have to be a rager, of all people?

“You kill bad people. People who want to kill you,” Boots said. “You’re a wager. That means you can’t con-twoll. Right?”

He wanted so badly to assure her that he wouldn’t kill anyone on purpose, but that wasn’t true. “Yes. Sometimes I can’t.” 

“Okay,” she said. “But bad ant could con-twoll. He kill Temp. Does Temp like being in heart?” She pressed a hand against her chest.

“Yeah, Boots. I think there’s no place that he’d rather be, ” said Gregor, and that was something he knew was true.. “So, uh, didn’t you say something about a weak spot?” He really, really wanted to change this conversation into something brighter.

“Yes, but you too slow. Get up!” Boots pouted. 

It seemed that Travisjakadash really had found a weak spot. Most of the party had gathered around him, waiting. Boots pulled Gregor over to Hazard and Newton. “Weak spot, weak spot, weak spot!” she sang. “Go Trah-vees-jahk-das!”

“Hey, Hazard. Hey, Newton,” said Gregor and sat down on the rock floor. “What’s up?”

“Travis found a spot in the rock wall that’s weaker. I think he can break through. He’s not so big, not as big as other diggers I’ve seen, but maybe he can break free,” said Hazard.

“He has got a strong will,” Newton said, nodding, but even so, there was a sliver of doubt in his voice. There was no guarantee that Travisjakadash could dig them out. Fortunately, everybody seemed to be pretty calm right now, and it was probably good that no one was freaking out. On the other hand, that’d probably come if the mole couldn’t break through the wall.

“How long will it take?” Gregor asked.

"I don't know," said Hazard. "A long time. Travisjakadash is not the biggest or strongest digger. But I believe in him."

Gregor took Boots’s hand. They watched as Travisjakadash clawed away at the rock side, tiny bits and pieces of rock coming off as a dent appeared in the wall. 

"How do you even know there's something behind that wall?" Gregor asked. He didn't really know who he asked.

"There is a hollow behind this wall," said Howard, walking up beside him. "It is likely that a tunnel leading out of there will be in there."

"That's good," Gregor said. "Do you think Travisjakadash can break through?"

"I hope he can," said Howard. "And I do not think it can go wrong if we keep hoping." He smiled. 

"Yeah. Hope." The word felt weird between his lips. This quest had been filled with nothing but death and sorrow; it hadn't been a place for hope. 

Now he thought of it, Gregor had almost forgotten about how much hope meant. If you had no hope, you'd never be able to actually go through with what you wanted.

"Yeah, I hope he can, too," said Gregor. "Man, why aren't we all freaking out over being trapped? Do you know why, Howard?"

"Perhaps we are all hoping for the best," said Howard. "If we did not hope, we would be, as you say, 'freaking out'."

Gregor hadn't thought about it that way. But man, it was true, now wasn't it? He'd thought that they'd forgotten about hope on this whole hellish trip. But maybe they were still hoping; maybe they weren't as disheartened as he thought.

A picture emerged in his head: Morris, cradled in Pollux's wings, smiling broadly as he died. 

Morris really was Vikus's brother. Now he could see the resemblance. They both never stopped hoping. 

Vikus. Gregor owed that old man so much. And the thought of him realizing that his brother, Morris, was dead . . . Gregor couldn't bear to think of that. 

Well, Morris'd known he'd die there, Gregor guessed. Else he wouldn't have smiled like that. Or maybe he would've. Morris didn't want people to be sad because he died. He was that kind of person. 

Even so, Gregor still felt a sadness growing in him when he thought of Morris, and how the man had saved his life. 

So many had died. Just on this trip, there were three casualties already. And the worst was that there'd been traitors among those who'd arranged this stupid 'quest'. That's why Temp and Russell and Morris had died. It’d been for nothing.

Well, maybe he should actually focus on the positive stuff, like that maybe they could get out!

Oh, he hoped that Travisjakadash could break out of here. Hazard, Boots, and Newton were cheering on the mole. It must be disturbing Travisjakadash, but no one had the heart to tell the kids so. Well, maybe except Ripred, but he seemed oddly quiet today. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that this was his childhood nest. Or maybe it was about the blood smear and the person who'd died. 

"Gregor." Howard cleared his throat. Twice. "I believe I owe you an apology."

"Yes, you owe Gregor a big, fat apology, Cousin," said Luxa who'd come over while Gregor was thinking.

Howard looked down. "First, I must apologize for so brutally taking you away from the Underland and bringing you back to the Overland. I should never have done it. But I must admit . . . when I was given the letter from your mother, I . . ." He turned to Luxa. "I only wanted the best for you, Luxa. But I was a fool. I was being blind. Very, very blind. I thought it would only bring heartbreak upon you, Luxa, if you and Gregor were too . . . I was a fool." He looked back at Gregor. "I thought you would not stay for long, anyway. So when the letter arrived . . . Yes, it was very wrong of me. I have decided that I will not involve myself in your relationship with my cousin, Gregor."

Gregor breathed out a sigh. With all the chaos going on, he'd virtually forgotten about the incident with Howard. And technically, wasn't it his mom's fault for writing Howard such a letter? "It's not only your fault, Howard. My mom, she . . . I think she wants the best for me, too. And she thinks the best is having nothing to do with the Underland. Or at least, she thought so."

“What mean you, she thought so?” asked Luxa.

"That day when Howard brought me back up, my mom had invited my cousins that day," Gregor said. Maybe he should just tell them what'd happened, what he'd done to Cousin Matthias. "And my cousin, Matthias, he - he did something that made my rager abilities flare up."

He didn't want Boots, Hazard, and Newton to hear. He lowered his voice. "Luxa, remember before I went out to fight the Bane first time, we were in the museum. We took that picture." Gregor didn't mention that they'd kissed; he was a little wary of Howard, truth be told.

She nodded. "Yes. We used the camera."

"My cousin, he - he broke that picture," said Gregor. He was ashamed of what'd happened, how he'd reacted, but after the whole abduction ordeal with Howard, something in him just couldn't take all this negative stuff towards the Underland anymore. "And something in me kind of snapped. I threw myself at Matthias. Beat him to a pulp, I think. Now my uncle's pressed charges against me, which means we're going to go to court, but that isn't important right now."

"Court?" Luxa asked. She grabbed his hand. "They will not execute you, will they, Gregor?"

"No, nothing so extreme," said Gregor. He didn't want to think of what was going to happen. "But what I'm trying to say is that when I beat up my cousin, I think my mom . . . I think she realized . . . something. And . . .” He sucked in a breath. “I think - No, I know that my mom is a rager, too.”

“What?” Luxa and Howard’s gasps sounded like one and the same. 

“I think she understood something at that point,” said Gregor. “Maybe she’ll be more lenient to let me go to the Underland in the future.”

“I am still sorry, Gregor,” said Howard. “I am a horrible person.”

“No, you’re great!” said Gregor. “But can I ask you something? Why did my mom tell you to only take me, and not Boots?”

“I do not know,” said Howard. “That is a question your mother must answer. And now, I think it is my turn to ask you a question. It seems - pardon me if I’m mistaken - but it seems like you have been avoiding Luxa. Do I have something to do with this?”

“Avoiding her?” Now that Gregor thought about it, maybe he had been avoiding Luxa. The thought made him feel sick to his stomach. “I . . . Not that I know of. Maybe I subconsciously . . .” He didn’t know what to say. “Luxa, it’s not because I don’t love you, I really, really do.”

“I know,” she said. And then she kissed him.

All the bad thoughts vanished from Gregor’s mind, like mist blown away by a silent breeze. He could think of nothing but her. Behind him, he could hear one of the kids snickering, and Howard attempting to shush them. But he didn’t mind. Because standing here like this, it filled him with the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Hope.


End file.
